World Ender
by BlahWithTheBlah
Summary: AU! Sequel to Operation Rogue. The sky was a dark orange. The buildings that surrounded them were all either destroyed or blasted to the ground. She could hear explosions and gunfire in the distance. Marie turned to look at Logan. "So... What's the plan?" She asked him suddenly nervous. Logan grinned at her while releasing his claws. "Don't get killed." Steve/Rogue
1. Chapter 1

Marie sat on the porch of a small house overlooking a beach. She had been sitting on the wooden bench the last two hours. She wore a pair of denim shorts and a thin, white see-through cotton shirt, which showed off her bright yellow and green bikini underneath.

The sun was setting, and the sky filled with a kaleidoscope of colours. It reminded her of a different time and place she'd shared with a man that still haunted her.

 _Just call me, you know I'll come for you…_ His soft voice spoke to her, reminding her yet again of his presence in her mind. _"You know I can't do that sugar…."_ She thought back to him sadly. _Yes you can._ He argued back stubbornly as he had done several times the last four months, since she'd left him. The real him.

 _I don't hate you for what you are Marie, and I certainly don't hate you for your actions. You didn't mean to hurt the boy - you were a child! Terrified of what had happened…_ He said anger clear in his voice at her refusal to listen to reason.

" _And what about Foster, huh? I_ _chose_ _to kill him Steve! And I lied about it t' ya'll!"_ She could feel Steve's frustration at her words.

Marie sighed in annoyance. A can of beer on the ground by her feet shook and rattled. She looked down at it and held out her hand.

It flew violently into her awaiting hand.

Marie rose from the bench to throw it out.

" _ **A great white light enveloped the two and Marie screamed. Before she could register what was going on, an arrow with a cylinder top crashed at their feet. An explosion ripped Marie and Magneto from each other and the white dome of light disappeared."**_

The memory made her shudder. She still had nightmares about that night.

In the four months that had passed, Magneto's power never faded away, in fact they grew a bit stronger each day, she reluctantly admitted to herself.

Marie blamed the freak moment during her absorption of him. She wondered if it meant he was out there somewhere, powerless. Or if the powers were still only a copy of his. _"Albeit a semi-permanent copy…"_

It was at times like these she missed having Cody in her mind. His annoyance always helped taking her mind of things that bothered her. Ever since she had absorbed Both Steve and Magneto that night on the statue of Liberty, Cody had all but disappeared from her mind. Once in awhile she thought she heard him mutter something, but it always quickly passed.

She had ripped apart Magneto's psyche the moment she'd left the helicarrier, not wanting him to linger anywhere in her mind more than necessary. Now Steve was the number one tenant in her head.

She couldn't find it in her heart to dissolve him like she did all other psyches. _"Maybe I'm just a masochist."_ she thought while shaking her head lightly.

She stood in the narrow kitchen looking out the window, when she noticed the phone ringing. She let it ring, not feeling very talkative at the moment.

 ***Jessica Corran's beach house. I can't come to phone at the moment, please leave a message.*** The voicemail intro was followed by a beep-tone.

" **Marie,"** Jess' voice spoke out to her. **"I know Malibu is a lot of fun, but you can't hide out there forever."** she said. **"I know you're there, so pick up the phone idiot."** Marie could feel the roll of the of Jess' eyes in her tone of voice.

She shook her head before picking up the phone. "You know I can hide here how ever long I want to. What are you gonna do about it, all the way from Boston?" Marie teased her best friend.

" **She's alive!"** Jess exclaimed happily. **"About time you picked up the phone, do you have any idea how many times I've called you?"**

"Sorry, I've been busy." Marie lied weakly and Jess snorted into the phone. **"Yeah busy moping over some loser who isn't worth even a second of your time."** she said angrily.

Marie pinched the bridge of her nose, not wanting to go into that discussion again.

The last time had been four months ago, when Marie had called up Jess asking if she could crash at her beach house. Jess had of course agreed immediately, but had demanded to know everything, since Marie hadn't called her once in what had almost been a year.

That led to Marie telling her a more watered down version of the events that had taken place that year.

She'd landed a good job, met a guy and made friends. This all leading up to the sudden break up between her and the guy, ( _Of course it's sudden when you leave me in the middle of the night, no message, nothing..._ Steve commented angrily at her) and that she just needed to get away from it all.

"Thanks by the way, for letting me stay here." Marie said steering the conversation away from that theme. **"You know I'll always have your back, Marie."**

The two girls chattered another hour about everything and nothing, before Jess had to go. Marie sighed before grabbing the keys of the house, locking up and taking a walk to the nearest donut shop. She had a craving for something sweet. She'd eaten at three donuts at the donut shop every evening for the past four months. _It's not healthy for you, you know._ Steve told her. _"I'm an emotional eater, so sue Me."_ she thought angrily and felt a headache coming on, before making her way. _"Besides, I keep up my training. I can afford eating some junk food once in awhile."_ She justified.

When Marie made it there after a twenty minute walk, she noticed several familiar looking black SUV's, wearing even more familiar logos, in the parking lot.

" _Oh no! They've found me."_ She panicked, and Steve cheered inside her mind. _"Shut it Rogers!"_ She snarked and waited for a rush of agents to surround her.

They never did.

Marie looked around the parking lot in surprise, and she felt Steve's cheerfulness dying down. She creeped up behind one of the SUV's looking into the donut shop curiously.

" _They can't seriously be taking a donut break…"_ she thought in quiet disbelief before she noticed who was sitting inside the store.

Marie cursed.

Director Fury was leaning back in a booth while discussing something with… _"Tony Stark?"_ She noted he was wearing his Iron Man suit while munching on some donuts, and the engineer/fan girl inside her squealed a bit.

Out of nowhere Natasha came up to the two men, and stabbed a needle into Stark's neck. Marie decided to take it as her cue, " _best to head back home,"_ sugar craving be damned. She jogged back to her house not noticing the pair of eyes that followed her.

Once inside the safety of the house again, Marie started throwing her things into her duffel bag, before suddenly stopping. _"There's really no need, I mean they didn't see me. They aren't even here for me…"_ She rationalized before putting back the clothes she held in her hand. _I think you should go talk to Natasha, she would understand - she wouldn't hurt you or hate you._ Steve said never stopping trying to convince her. She ignored him.

She plopped down on her bed. _"My life is a mess."_ she thought exhausted _. Only because you're too stubborn to listen to reason._ Steve said with kindness in his voice. Her thoughts led her back to what she had been considering the last couple of days. _"What do you say Steve? Wanna head back to New York?"_ she asked him. _I don't think you should go back to that place. You only seem to attract too much trouble while there, doll._ He teased her. Before turning serious. _But you said you wanted answers, to find people like you. Maybe this Xavier can finally give you some, and you know I'll support you along the way._

" _Charles Xavier…"_ The name brought up a lot of different emotions inside Marie that she knew belonged to Magneto. Hope, sadness, anger, love, affection, distrust were just a few, which were a part of the never-ending whirlwind.

" _You're right sugar. I'm just scared I'll be disappointed. What if they don't accept me? What if I'm the freak amongst freaks? …"_ She sighed saddened. _Even then, you can come to me. Please Marie, just call me._ Steve begged her. Her heart clenched a bit. She missed them, all of them, and seeing Natasha only worsened the longing. Her will faltered slightly and she walked into the kitchen, staring at the phone for a full minute. Her hand hovered over it and Marie bit her lip looking uncertain.

She picked up the phone. Steve held his breath. Marie started pushing the buttons typing in his number, pressing the call button before she changed her mind. The phone rang a couple of times before it was finally answered. "Hello?" a light and clearly tired female voice asked. "Hello?!" the woman repeated again though fully awake now. Marie hung up, embarrassment and anger filling her heart.

 _Marie it's probab... "_ **Shut up!** _"_ she yelled interrupting him _"I don't wanna hear it."_

She sat on the cold kitchen floor halfway through the night. Unmoving as the scenarios her own mind made up broke her heart. The metal that surrounded her in the kitchen rattled and shook until she fell into an exhausted sleep on the floor. 

* * *

When the sun started to filter in through the kitchen window gently illuminating the room, Marie woke up uncomfortable on her kitchen floor and groaned. She sat up wincing as she stretched her legs out in front of her. _"Of course he would move on… He wouldn't want to be with a killer… and we only landed two dates before it blew up in our faces… It was attraction, not love. Besides, I left him; I have no right to him…_ _ **I**_ _left him, and he doesn't have any right to me either."_ Marie justified to herself and got up. She would not be weak. She had gotten through worse things than a little heartbreak.

She looked around the house suddenly feeling angry. _"I'm done hiding. I'm going to New York, and if anyone bothers me, I'll make them regret it."_ She thought finally getting a hold of herself. She packed her things in record time, the anger burning brightly inside her the whole time. She ignored the small voice inside her head that sounded suspiciously like Cody, telling her she wasn't angry, but jealous.

With her duffel bag on her shoulders, she left behind the place that had been her safe house the last three months. She walked for an hour towards the city before cursing her flip-flops. She had to stop several times and rest her feet, the thin material doing nothing to spare her feet from the hard road. She walked another two feet and then decided to try and hitch a ride with someone.

Marie sighed and winced, as her feet started hurting again. Several cars had passed her, what felt like hours ago, ignoring her as they sped away. Marie cursed every single one of them. Then she cursed Jess for owning a beach house so far away from civilization. And last but not least she cursed herself for not owning a car.

In the distance she heard a car engine purring loudly and started waving her hands in the air, praying that the person would stop for her.

To her surprise, Marie saw the white convertible coming closer, and slowing down to a stop in front of her. The man driving lowered his sunglasses and took in her dishevelled looks. Marie cursed her luck. Of course who-ever listened to her prayers would send her Tony Stark who S.H.I.E.L.D. always had constant surveillance on.

"Where are you headed?" He asked her. "City, I need to get to the bus terminal." She said and he ushered her in next to him.

"Thanks." She said appreciatively as her feet finally got to rest. She introduced herself to him, and so did he even though there was no need for it.

"No problem." He said and Marie noticed how pale he was. He started the car again "Let me guess," He said still looking at her. "You were at some party and your friend decided to ditch you for some spoiled rich wannabe movie star." He said and Marie snorted.

"I wish. " She said as they sped along the road "I've been crashing at my friend's beach house the last three months, denying and ignoring my problems, living like a hermit." He let out a laugh. "Believe me, I know a lot about ignoring and denying problems. It usually works." he finished with a grin and Marie nodded "I'm with you on that." she said "But I finally figured it was time to face them - just not straight on - more like zigzag on with lots of side roads if it all decides to blow up in my face."

Stark nodded approvingly "Good strategy. Sounds like something I would come up." he joked "Well I've been told that all engineers think alike, they just do it at different times." She said quoting her old professor with a smile. Stark looked at her surprised before turning his eyes back on the road. "You're young." He said and then smiled "But so was I when I graduated MIT. Where did you go?" he asked curiously. "Mississippi." she answered honestly "It's where I was born and raised. I got a lot of other offers, MIT included, but when my parents decided to keep me in public school until I actually started puberty, a lot of them pulled out."

He nodded understandingly; a lot of the universities around the world wanted their own young genius child to outshine the other universities. The younger the child the better. "I ended up skipping high school and started at sixteen." She didn't know why she was sharing her life with him, a complete stranger, but he was easy to talk to and Marie didn't want to come off as rude when he'd been kind enough to give her a ride.

They soon entered the bustling city. "So where are you headed now?" he asked her curiously as they passed the many stores and apartment buildings that made up the city. "Where all my problems seem to stem from, the root of all evil known as New York City." She joked and Stark rolled his eyes. "I thought the root of all evil was Wyoming." He joked easily and Marie snorted at his lame attempt at humour.

They pulled up to the bus station. She looked at him "Thanks again. I appreciate it. If you're ever in New York and need help or just want to meet up," she said handing him an old S.H.I.E.L.D business card from her duffel bag, but not before ripping off the S.H.I.E.L.D logo from the corner "give me a call. See you around Stark." She grinned at him before heading over to buy a bus ticket.

Tony looked at the disappearing girl and then at the business card. He thought about throwing it away, but a small part of him knew she hadn't offered him her body but her friendship. He pocketed the card, wondering what logo she had ripped off and why she had done it.

As he drove off from the bus terminal, his mind turned to more important things. He still needed to find Vanko now that he wasn't dying anymore. 

* * *

It took Marie the better part of two days before she reached the city, which only held bad experiences for her. She wondered if the third time visiting the city would be the charm for her. _"With my track record, probably not."_ She had tried to mentally prepare herself for any possible run-ins with Clint, Natasha, Phil or Steve and she felt ready. The chance of running into them was minimal. They were all usually airborne and away on missions half the time.

She felt confident. _No you don't_. Marie thought she heard Cody say from somewhere deep inside her mind. She and Steve hadn't spoken a word to each other in the two days she had been travelling to New York. She ignored the loneliness she felt at his silence, and compensated it by exploring the noisy and loud city.

She had been walking around for three hours, shopping for some new clothes, when someone bumped into her.

One of the bags she carried in her arms fell to the ground. She crouched down to pick it up the same time her assailant did. Tired from the long shopping, she looked up to apologize to the person instead of yelling at them as she would have normally done, when she found herself staring into the blue eyes of the very same person she hadn't spoken with in her mind the last two days, and hadn't seen in four months.

" _How the hell is this possible! I haven't even been here for a full day!"_ She thought shocked, while the two of them gaped like fish at each other. They got up and Marie turned abruptly, trying to get away in the massive crowds, but was stopped by a strong hand gripping her arm. "Let me go." She said quietly not able to look him in the eyes.

 _Your mental preparation could use some adjustments._ The Steve in her head finally spoke to her.

* * *

Steve looked down at her in shock. Four months he had spent looking for her. Four! And each time he had failed in finding her, or a new lead. And now here she was, by some odd stroke of luck, in all her beauty and sadness looking at him " _as if she was the one who had been left behind."_

She turned to run away but he grabbed her arm tightly not wanting to lose her again. He couldn't formulate a sentence he was still too shocked. She looked up at him, those shocked green eyes, pleading him to let her go. "No…" He finally managed to croak out and before he knew he was doing it, he embraced her tightly.

The feel of her body moulding itself perfectly against his own, her arms closing around his middle, felt like coming home.

He kissed her on the crown of her head and murmured, "We have to talk." to her.

Marie felt an irrational fear at those words, and Magneto's powers acted up according to their owner's emotions. Everything around her started shaking. The large plasma screens that surrounded the square exploded, buildings rattled as their iron structures bended and then crashed. The streets shook and the plumbing, resulting in several car crashes, randomly penetrated the ground beneath.

People started screaming and panicking around them, trying to get to safety but finding none. Marie tried to calm down, but the panic and destruction around her only fuelled her own more. Steve didn't notice that she was the one doing this, and shielded her body with his own from both the panicking crowds and the falling debris around them. He tried pulling them away from the centre of the square, but he didn't know where to go.

Steve gripped Marie's hand and looked through the crowds concerned and wondering _"Where the hell is Barton?!"_ The two men had been grabbing a beer at a nearby sports bar, watching a game football, when Steve had left for some fresh air. _"If you could even call the air that that…"_ He turned them towards the bar and he saw Clint struggling to keep his balance as he was helping a woman and her young daughter to safety. Clint looked up and waved at him with both arms trying to catch his attention. Steve let go of Marie's hand and waved back. He turned to pull Marie with to Clint.

She wasn't there.

He stared at the empty spot _"She was right there!"_ "MARIE!" he screams out in desperation. "MARIE!" he searched the seas of crowds pushing against each other, looking for a brown and white striped head.

He doesn't find her.

The shaking of the ground stops and Steve sees Clint making his way to him. "Steve! You okay man?!" he calls out on his way over. Steve looked at him and shook his head no. "Marie…" he murmured and Clint asked him "What about Marie?" Steve grabbed Clint by the lapels of his jacket. "Marie was here! She was here Clint!" He said panicking. "Are you sure?" Clint asked while turning to look at the crowds, questioning his friend. "Yes!" he exclaimed and crouched down to pick up the bag she had dropped.

"I didn't see her and accidentally pushed her bag to the ground." he says as he shows Clint the pink bag.

Clint looks like he can't decide between worrying and laughing at his friend holding a victoria's secret bag. "If she was here, then where did she go?" he asks and watches Steve's face fall. "I lost her... I lost her _AGAIN_!" Steve yells out angrily. "She was right behind me! I only turned around for a second!" Clint places a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "We'll find her. At least we know she's in New York again." He says relief filling his heart. Both of their phones go off at the same time. Neither one of them needed to look at their phones to know who was calling.

" _S.H.I.E.L.D."_


	2. Chapter 2

Steve sat in his apartment several hours later after having finished a long debrief with Fury and Hill. He didn't tell them about Marie having been there, and that he'd lost her again. Clint loyally followed his steps and kept his mouth quiet about her too. He stared at pink bag on his coffee table. _"Stop it Rogers. You can't go through a woman's personal belongings."_ he chastised himself, before a darker voice said _"But she left you. Maybe there's something in there that can point you too her. To where she is."_

He ignored the voice and the bag on his table before getting up to get a cup of coffee. He stood at his coffee maker _"Just one little peek… No one would know."_ he thought, justifying the action to himself.

He shook his head no, and yet he found himself sitting in front of the bag again. He hesitated, one hand hovering before picking it up. He dumped the contents on the table in front of him. _What's? "_ Steve blushed heavily at the different pieces of clothing. He picked up one thin, green, t-like fashioned piece _"What's this supposed… Oh!"_ his imaginations finished his thoughts and he felt like his face couldn't get any redder than it was now. He placed the piece back on the table with everything else. He shook his head to clear it and picked up one of several receipts that had landed on the table with the clothing's.

" _Food…"_ he crumpled the receipt and threw it on the floor. _"Clothes…"_ he repeated his actions. _"Clothes… Clothes… Clothes… Lord! How much clothing does this woman need?"_ he questioned as he threw yet another receipt on the floor. He picked up the last one, about to look it through, when a knock on his door interrupted him. He pocketed the receipt and went to answer the door.

"Hi." Steve looked at the woman at his front door. "Hi Carol." He replied feeling uncomfortable. The blonde haired, blue-eyed S.H.I.E.L.D pilot in question didn't notice his discomfort. "Can I come in?" she asked trying to push her way into his apartment. Steve blocked her entrance with his body. "It's not really a good time…" He said blushing, thinking about the massive amounts of women's clothing on his coffee table that he wouldn't be able to explain.

"Why?" she asked suddenly angry him, noticing his blush. "It just isn't okay, let's leave it at that. Look Carol," he said dreading her reaction and dreading having to hurt her. "What we did, it didn't mean anything…" He faltered seeing her pained expression. "No! I mean it meant something, just not a lot…" now she looked angry and Steve sighed palming his face defeated. "What I mean to say is, that what happened between us shouldn't have. I was hurting and sad, in a bad place, and I'm sorry. I just can't be with you the way you want me to." He finished while looking at her hopelessly.

"Steve you can't be serious!" Carol replied back angrily. "We have something! I know you feel it too!" She gestured between them. Steve shook his head no. "No we don't. I'm sure we could have had something, but my heart just isn't with you Carol." The _"My heart is with Marie…"_ was left unsaid. "Is this about Peggy?" Carol asked him in disbelief and continued. "You need to move on Steve! It was seventy years ago! She's old and almost dead!" Carol nearly screamed at him. Steve felt his heart clench and fury burned in his eyes. Carol noticing her mistake started to hurriedly apologize.

Steve, usually mild-mannered and a gentleman slammed the door in her face angrily. Carol tried knocking on his door a couple of times before finally giving up. Steve sighed and shook his head. He cursed himself for his weakness, having fallen for the woman's charms and comfortable touches, until he finally three days ago, had succumbed to her… The guilt he felt was overwhelming. He was afraid that if _"When!"_ he found Marie again, that she wouldn't forgive him. He couldn't forgive himself. He slumped down on the couch, having forgotten about the receipt in his pocket, while wondering how this mess had become his life.

* * *

Marie looked around the harbour. Her powers had finally calmed down, and left her with the familiar feeling of humming throughout her body, as the metal constructions around her sang to her.

" _ **The first piece of paper said Operation Rogue with bold letters. "Let me know if you need anything." Fury offered him and Steve started reading through the file. "In the meantime," Fury said and Steve looked up at him "bring back the Rogue.""**_

She sat with her feet over the edge staring down the water, as her bags lay behind her. _Are you all right doll?_ Steve asked her concerned. Marie sighed. _"No, not really. In the four months I've had this power, it's never done anything like this!"_ She replied worried and a bit scared. Ignoring the small memory she had absorbed from Steve during the panic. Around the harbour the buildings started to rattle and Marie took a deep breath trying to calm herself.

The rattling ceased.

"It's always exceptionally hard to control one's power when they are bound so completely to one's emotions." A female voice said behind her. Marie turned around warily. An African American woman with shockingly white hair smiled at her kindly. Beside her a bald man in a wheelchair sat looking contemplatively at her. _"Charles Xavier."_ her mind recognized.

Marie got to her feet and picked up her shopping bags. "It's not usually a problem." she said looking at the two. "Hello, my name is professor Charles Xavier, and the woman next to me is a member of my staff Ororo M..." "I know who you are." Marie interrupted him. The two looked at her surprised "Oh you do? Then do you know why I am here?" He countered. Marie nodded. "You're here to offer me a place at your mutant school to teach me control of my powers, while trying to convince me to believe in your dream about peaceful mutant human coexistence." The last part came out a bit bitter, a side effect from having drained so much of Magneto.

Xavier folded his hands in his lap while his forehead wrinkled. "May I ask how you know about my school? I try to keep it as quiet as possible." He and the African American woman shared a look.

"I actually came to New York looking for you, hoping you could help me. The information was given to me by an old friend of yours; Eric Lensherr." Marie lied _"More like it was forced into my brain…"_ and watched, as both Xavier and Monroe were surprised and shocked at her revelation.

"I'm sorry. You say Eric sent you to me? I'm surprised he didn't try to recruit you." Xavier said not letting the disbelief colour his words. Marie nodded. "He did try and it led me to you in the end… I don't believe in either one of your causes, and I'm not going to pick a side in your fights as he tried forcing me to. I just need to learn to control this and then get a move on." Marie continued to lie.

" _The less they know, the safer I am. I'm not going to stick around, I'm just gonna find out what caused this curse, control the powers and get back to Malibu."_ she thought.

 _Maybe you should be honest with them Marie. They could protect you!_ Steve argued

" _Or they could lock me up! Worse, they could send me back to S.H.I.E.L.D."_ she countered. _That wouldn't be a bad thing; you'd be back with me! Nobody is going to force you to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. if you don't want to!_ Marie ignored him and his naivetés.

Xavier wheeled closer to her, with Monroe following his lead. "I wouldn't expect you to fight for me or any cause. Those who do so, choose to do it. I would like to offer you to come with us to my school. It would be a great chance for you see the environment that our children are surrounded by and to meet others like yourself." He finished. "No offence," Marie said "but I'm not really interested in the school. I already finished college." she said and could see the surprise in the two of them. "I'm interested in what caused this curse. What we are. All my life I've been looking for an answer to this." Marie said honestly "And I don't believe in Magneto's Homo Superior theory. He isn't a credible source but a demented old man." She finished without an ounce of kindness for the man that had tried to murder her.

Xavier winced slightly at her harsh words of his old friend. "I understand your need for answers, and I would very much like to give them to you. Would you like to join us back at my school?" He asked her. Marie nodded. "Yes please."

"I'm sorry, I didn't get your name." Xavier said to her as they made their way to his ride.

" _ **Steve looked up at him "bring back the Rogue.""**_

"Rogue." Marie said shortly.

* * *

The normally one hour ride took less than ten minutes in the Black Hawk jet. _"Normally I would question why a school has military issued toys, but considering Magneto's run ins with the x-men I'm not really surprised."_ Marie thought to Steve as she was led into an office.

 _Isn't it a bit, how would Clint say it, a bit overkill? I mean they couldn't possibly be at such a high risk that they need several jets for evacuation. Nobody knows about the school._ Steve answered in response to the many jets they had seen on their way inside. _"Maybe they're just being careful. I mean they are a real school filled with children, albeit super powered and mutated children. That could gather the wrong kind of attention."_ She thought back at him. Marie could feel Steve agree with her.

Ororo as she'd told Marie to call her, had been giving her the complete story and tour behind the school. Marie was now seated in front of Xavier's desk as the man rolled behind it. "I'm glad you decided to join us." He said as Ororo sat down in a chair next to her.

"Now I know you have a lot of questions and I'll answer all I can." He told her folding his hands on the table. "What are we?" she asked him simply, and Xavier smiled at her. "You said you didn't believe in Eric's explanation about us being Homo superior, and I usually don't agree with him, but he is partially correct." He said and Marie was surprised.

Xavier continued "Mutation; it is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, and normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward. We are the next step in human evolution, thanks to a mutation called the X-gene, an extra gene found in some humans." he explained and Marie didn't know what to think.

"So everything we are able to do, is because of an extra gene coded into our DNA?" she said disbelievingly. _"That's insane!"_ she thought shocked. Steve stayed quiet in her mind. "You're honestly telling me that all the powers and physical mutations those kids outside are displaying is because of an extra gene? That what I can do is simply because of an extra gene?" Marie continued still shocked.

Xavier nodded. "I know it's a bit much to take in at first, but it is the truth." He told her softly. "Is there any way to take it away? To remove it or to suppress it?" she asked curious, honestly wanting to know. _You don't need to get it removed Marie._ Steve said angrily. _"You might say that, but my powers turned me into a killer Steve. None of this would have happened if my power had never seen the light of day."_ she replied back.

Both Xavier and Ororo looked a bit disappointed at her. Xavier shook his head no. "No there is not, which is why we try to teach the children here to accept and control their mutations." He explained and Marie nodded her head in understanding. "May I ask what your mutation is?" Xavier asked her. "I can control metal." she said not wanting to be feared for her true mutation. _They wouldn't fear you Marie._ Steve said. _"Yes they would, did you see the children outside - none of them - not one of them had a mutation like mine! They would be scared of the big bad vampire mutant, and I don't want that."_ she replied and left it at that.

Xavier and Ororo looked at her curiously. "That's quite interesting." Ororo said looking at her with an eyebrow lifted.

"That's why Magneto wanted me. He told me he could teach me to control it," Marie lied "and then he wanted me to kill off a bunch of people. Not really an offer I wanted to take." She replied to the two. "You were the one in Times Square today." Ororo concluded and Marie felt guilty and nodded her head. "I saw someone I used to know and my emotions got the better of me."

 _They really like looking at each other._ Steve noticed and Marie almost snorted. _"They're having a telepathic discussion. Xavier is a mind reader."_ She told Steve. _Do you think he read your mind?_ Steve asked her. _"No,"_ Marie said certainly. _"He can't. I know because Magneto knew that my powers wouldn't allow it. Apparently some woman he called Destiny could see the future. She was the one who told him about me… Remind me to give her a visit soon."_ Marie finished angrily, knowing that wherever and however Magneto had contacted the woman wouldn't work anymore, and that it would be a lost cause.

Around them the office shook lightly and they looked at her pointedly. Marie shrugged. "Not me." She replied honestly and the doors to the office burst open. "Ms Monroe! Ms Monroe!" a small boy yelled out "Mr Summers and Mr Logan are fighting again in the gardens!" He continued and ran out of the office. Ororo rose quickly, followed by Xavier who let out a sigh. Marie followed the two to the garden where a group of children had encircled two men who were going at it. Marie looked at the shorter man. _"He looks familiar."_ she thought.

" _ **Her attention was brought back to the cage when the whole room suddenly started cheering. Apparently the shorter guy had managed to knock out the big burly guy. She shook her head wondering why anybody would spend their time beating and getting the shit beaten out of them. "Must be a guy thing." "**_

She realised from where she had recognized him. _"He won the cage fight against the big brute!"_

Ororo tried yelling at the two men but they either didn't notice her or chose to ignore her.

The tall man nearly fell on one of the smaller children and Marie had enough. She used Magneto's power. She felt the metal inside the short man and called a piece of metal to her. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" She yelled out as she separated the men by force. She lifted the shorter man into the air, while bending the piece of metal she had summoned around the taller man's hands. He too went flying into the air. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO! YOU NEARLY HURT ONE OF THE CHILDREN!" Marie yelled at them and the taller man looked ashamed while the shorter man growled at her. "You lookin' for fight kid!" he growled angrily at her.

Marie, pissed of, bent the metal inside him slightly making him howl out in pain. "A lady doesn't start a fight, sugar, but she sure can finish them!" She told him as she let her grip of the two of them go. _Did you just quote aristocats?_ Steve asked her having seen the movie with her a couple of weeks ago. Marie ignored him, but blushed a bit.

The men fell harshly to the ground. Xavier chose to speak up. "I want you both in my office. NOW!" He yelled out angrily. The children quickly disbanded, never having seen the professor so angry before. The two men, dirtied and bloodied, followed the wheelchair bound man. Ororo placed a hand on Marie's shoulder. "Thank you." She said and Marie could feel the woman's relief. "I probably would have ended up electrocuting them if they didn't stop fighting." Ororo joked.

Marie shook her head. "No problem, I did what anybody else should have done." She told Ororo and the woman nodded. "They're not usually like this... Logan…" she sighed, "Logan loved Scott's wife. She passed away some time ago. They blame each other when neither one of them carry any blame." Ororo explained to her. "Wow... My condolences." Marie told her seeing the pain in the older woman's eyes. "Thank you."

The two women made their way back to the office. "I hope you stay here, at least for a little while. We could use the extra help, both with the children and with Logan and Scott." Ororo confided to her. "You said you already finished college. What did you study?" She asked her curiously.

"I have a PhD in engineering." Marie explained not knowing how to answer the woman on the first part. "I finished last year, worked a bit, then quit. My whole life has been about engineering and when I finally got to work with it, it didn't end up being what I expected… or wanted. So I've been staying in Malibu for a while, before I decided that I could use Professor Xavier's help with my powers."

Ororo nodded. "You're quite gifted, not only with your powers but with your mind." She smiled. "If you don't want to work as an engineer, then what do you want to do?" Ororo asked her.

Marie stopped and looked at her surprised. "What?" Ororo asked her worried. "Nothin'. Just… You're the first person to ask me what I want to do, and not just expect me to be some successful and brilliant scientist. To be honest I have no idea." Marie replied to the woman. "Ah... " The white haired woman nodded knowingly. "Pressure and expectations from family and friends are the worst." Marie snorted. "You have no idea."

They made it back to the office and could hear the professor still yelling at the two men. Three teenagers, a bit younger looking than Marie, stood listening in at the door. Ororo cleared her throat. "Bobby, Jubilee, and Kitty ... Is there a reason you are hovering by the door? Are you waiting to speak with the professor perhaps?" She asked them with a knowing and annoyed glint in her eyes. The four looked at her with an expression that clearly said they had been caught snooping. "Busted…" The Asian girl muttered and the two others shushed her. The blonde haired boy looked at Ororo though sparring a look at Marie. _He better keep his eyes to himself._ Steve said and Marie nearly laughed.

"Sorry Storm, but we were actually waiting to speak with the prof." Bobby said smoothly. Ororo lifted an eyebrow at him. "Really? About what?" she questioned him. Bobby looked back at the other two girls before realizing he couldn't find any help there. "Uhm…." "Beat it." Ororo said and the four of them took off in a hurry. Ororo shook her head. "Gossip flies around here faster than the flu during the winter." She said and Marie smiled at her. "You look like you're used to finding them at the door."

"I am. They're young and part of the junior x-men team. They keep getting in more trouble than they should, thinking they're helping us." She explained fondly to Marie. The yelling behind the doors ceased and the Ororo walked in while Marie followed her. The tall guy was sitting down in the chair Ororo had occupied earlier, looking ashamed and miserable.

The shorter man leaned against the wall. His eyes were hard, but Marie could tell he too felt ashamed, but wouldn't admit it nor let it show. The three men looked up at them. "Rogue," Xavier began looking at Marie. "Thank you for handling the situation outside." Marie nodded not commenting that situations like that shouldn't happen on school ground.

"No problem Mr Xavier." he smiled at her a bit strained because of the anger he still felt. "Please call me Charles or professor." he offered her. Marie nodded. "I'd like to go back," Marie began, noticing how both the professor's and Ororo's face fell. "But I'd like to come tomorrow and finish our talk about my power and control." She finished. The professor nodded at her. "Yes, of course. Ororo will get you a cab. On us of course." He replied and Marie graciously accepted and picked up her shopping bags.

* * *

..


	3. Chapter 3

..

* * *

When Steve woke up a couple of hours later, he found Natasha sitting on his chair while Clint had sprawled out on the other couch. She raised an eyebrow at him while a piece of underwear dangled from her finger. Clint snorted when Steve blushed and quickly pulled the clothing from her hand. Steve threw it into the empty bag along with everything else that lay on the coffee table.

"Why, Steve?" Natasha teased him "I didn't know you were into that kind of thing." Clint laughed at his misfortune. "Not funny." Steve replied blushing hotly. "It's not mine, its Marie's." He explained and the teasing atmosphere suddenly ceased. "I know." Natasha said with _that_ _look_ that meant she probably knew more than he did at this point. _"Clint must have filled her in on the situation."_ he thought.

"I've been going through her stuff hoping to find a clue, anything that could lead me to where she's staying." He said with a sadness and guilt in his voice. Natasha nodded while Clint remained silent. "Did you find anything?" She asked him and he shook his head no. "Well, we know she's here in New York. That's a start. I'll have S.H.I.E.L.D start to look through security around different hotels and motels." Natasha said as she pulled out her cell and made a call.

Clint decided to speak up from where he had made himself comfortable. "You sure there's nothing in her receipts?" Steve nodded. "I went through them, they're all clothes, so I…" He stopped himself remembering the last receipt. He quickly pulled it from his front pocket and unfolded it. He looked through it. Steve sighed. "Nothing. Just a receipt for a water bottle." He said and crumpled it. He threw it at Clint who caught it effortlessly and unfolded it. Steve turned to Natasha who hung up. "We'll find her Steve." She reassured him.

Steve nodded.

"Crossway Boulevard." Clint suddenly spoke up. Natasha and Steve turned to him. "What?" Steve asked him. "Natasha check if there's a motel near Crossway Boulevard. The receipt is from someplace called Sundance store on Crossway Boulevard." Steve felt hope filling him as Natasha checked her phone. She looked up her face unreadable. "There's a motel there." She said and Steve jumped. "How far?" He asked her excited and scared at the same time. "A hour away." She replied. "I'm driving." Clint said getting up from the couch.

"How did you know about the motel?" Steve asked Clint as they made it into the car. "You said all the other receipts were clothes, from stores mostly from around Times Square I'm guessing. This water bottle receipt was the only one not from Times Square." Clint explained easily. Steve nearly hit himself. He hadn't even considered looking at the addresses on the receipts; he'd been hoping that there was a receipt directly from the motel she was staying at. "This is why you're the agents and not me." Steve told Clint and Natasha as they sped off. The two only smirked at each other.

* * *

Marie stood under the shower enjoying the almost scorching hot water. She let the stress and tension from today wash away with the water. She shampooed and conditioned her hair, before soaping up and shaving. _"Oh the joys of being a woman."_ She thought sarcastically as she bend over on tired legs to shave. It took awhile for her to finish in the shower, she didn't want to leave the peace and quiet that the warm water brought her, but eventually she did. She put on her underwear and wrapped herself up in soft and comfortable bathrobe before leaving the bathroom.

She stopped in the doorway. Natasha and Clint were sitting on her bed while Steve sat at small table in the corner of her room. She took a deep breath not wanting to panic. She could feel the metal objects around the room more certainly than before. More specifically, she could feel the various weapons the two agents wore hidden away from plain sight.

"Hi." Marie said lamely. Natasha only raised an eyebrow at her, Clint looked pissed and Steve… Well Steve looked hurt, which was worse than Clint's anger at her. _"Not that I don't deserve it."_ She thought.

"Four months," Clint said angrily "Four months filled with worry, fear and uncertainty as to whether or not you were alive, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY IS HI!" He exploded. Marie flinched and Natasha put a calming hand on Clint's shoulder. _"Or she's trying to keep him from killing me…"_ she thought desperately. "I'm…" Marie began and Clint interrupted her. "Do have any idea! … We've been looking everywhere!" He yelled at her though less violently than before. The quiet that followed nearly choked up Marie. Things around them started shaking. Steve, Natasha and Clint all looked around in worry and Marie slid down on the floor. She took several deep breaths trying to calm herself but she couldn't. She started to cry. She didn't want to hurt them. "Marie, doll, are you doing this?" Steve's soft voice called out to her. "I can't... make it stop…" She choked out not looking at them, not wanting to see their fear and disgust.

A pair of strong arms embraced her and she instinctively looked up. Steve looked at her with worry in his eyes as he sat on the floor. "I don't want to hurt anybody." Marie whispered looking at him. She saw something shift in his eyes, and understanding of sorts before he leaned down and kissed her head. "You won't hurt anybody." He comforted her and stroked her head. The shaking quieted down after a while and Clint and Natasha joined them on the floor.

"Is that why you left? Because you thought you'd end up hurting someone?" Steve asked her. Marie shook her head no, while the three looked at her wondering.

" " _ **Clint and Natasha will hate me for it… They'll hate knowing that with the touch of a finger I would know their every secret if I wanted to… And they wouldn't know if I'd done it. I don't want them to live with that uncertainty, and I don't want to live with their mistrust either..."**_ **"**

The memory felt like it was from an eternity ago. That an eternity had passed and not just four months. Marie looked up at Clint and Natasha. Natasha was unreadable; more so than ever while Clint was an open book. His concern and worry made her heart clench and she felt like an idiot having run away from them. From their kindness and understanding.

" _ **Sweet, kind and loving Steve... " Her heart clenched when she thought about him, what his reaction would be to the truth. "That I was a monster since childhood… He might forgive me for keeping my powers a secret, even he would understand that, but killing an innocent child... He would never forgive me for that…""**_

"No," Marie said honestly. "I couldn't bare the thought of judgment. Your judgement of me, I've been told before I'm a monster, I didn't want to hear it from you too." she explained. "Even though that may be exactly what I am." "Don't be an idiot." Natasha told her angrily. "We would have no place to judge you. Least of all me. And you are not a monster." Clint nodded in agreement with Natasha. "You should have trusted us Marie. Given us a chance to understand before going rogue." He told to her. "It wasn't just that… I…" she couldn't finish the sentence suddenly feeling like the idiot Natasha told her she was. "What?" Clint asked her.

"I thought… I thought you and Natasha would hate me, knowing that with the touch of a finger I would know your every secret if I wanted to, and that you wouldn't even know if I'd done it. I didn't want you to live with that uncertainty, and I didn't want to live with your mistrust either." She finished feeling stupid.

A slap resounded through the room.

Marie held her cheek as the sting bit into it. They all looked at Natasha surprised. "Ow." Marie exclaimed shocked. "Don't ever presume that you know how we'll respond." Natasha said with a deadly glint in her eyes. "We wouldn't have mistrusted you. You are one of the very few people _I do_ trust. Which includes my life and my secrets. Don't ever take that for granted or I'll rip out your throat." She finished and Marie nodded still nursing her cheek.

Clint responded with a "What she said." but leaned over to hug her. Marie looked to Steve. "I'm sorry Steve. I honestly am. I thought you wouldn't be able to forgive me what I'd done, and it scared me." Steve shook his head. "What's done is done. We can't change that Marie. We can only try to better us selves. And honestly, I don't think there's anyone else better than you out there." It would have been a sweet moment if it weren't for Clint making barfing noises. Natasha hit him.

"Thank you Natasha." Steve said pleasantly. She grinned. "I live to please." Steve turned back to Marie. "Will you please come back to S.H.I.E.L.D. with us now?" Marie froze and it didn't go unnoticed by the others. "I can't." She said. "Why not?" Steve pushed her and Marie had a feeling of deja vu. "Because I'm a liability. What happened right now that was nothing Steve. You saw what happened today at Times Square." She said feeling guilty. Clint looked at her surprised. "That was you?" he asked her and Marie nodded and they all looked at her shocked.

"How did you do that?" Natasha asked her knowing it wasn't how Marie's powers worked. Marie looked uncomfortable. Steve nudged her. "Marie?" he questioned. She murmured something no one understood before clearing her throat. "Back on the statue of Liberty four months ago," she began and they all grew dark when she mentioned the incident. "When Magneto was forcing me to absorb him, something happened. I don't know what but there was this weird moment, where I couldn't stop it, I couldn't make him let go, right before the explosion ripped us apart."

Clint winced at the memory. He still had nightmares about that night; that he'd ended up killing Marie with the arrow she'd made for him as a gift.

"Ever since then," Marie explained, "I've had his powers. They haven't faded; they keep growing stronger every day. I don't know if it means he's out there somewhere, powerless or if the powers are only a copy of his." She finished worried. They were all silent, digesting the information until Natasha spoke up. "But you absorbed him, you should know how to control it."

Marie sighed. "I have the knowledge I just don't know how to properly apply it. Magneto's powers are controlled by his emotions, which is why he's usually so calm and collected. I however am not, which means boom! Times square." she explained while making an explosion with her hands. "Yeah, I can see how that could become a problem." Clint joked and Marie smiled lightly.

"Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. could help you." Steve wondered out loud. "I'm not going back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Steve." Marie said firmly. "I don't care what the Director wants, Operation Rogue or not, it's not where I belong." she said and Steve looked at her. "You know about that?" Marie nodded. "I panicked a bit earlier today when you grabbed my hand." She explained.

Steve felt sick. _"What if she knows about Carol, about what I did?"_ He panicked. Marie noticed his frown and felt hurt over his panic. "Don't worry, I only got that part." Marie said and rose angrily from the floor, leaving his warm embrace, to get dressed in her long black nightdress. She slammed the door closed to the bathroom. The metal objects around them started shaking again. "Nice job." Clint said giving him a disappointed look while Natasha looked at him muttering in Russian.

Steve sighed and rose from the floor. He knocked on the door. "Marie I'm sorry! That's not how I meant it. I was worried because there was something I didn't want you to see, because I don't want to hurt you or your feelings!" He exclaimed at the door. She opened the door walking out of the room in her black nightgown. Steve blushed when he couldn't help but notice all her curves. _"She's certainly filled out all the right places in the last four months."_ He thought happily, remembering the skinny almost bone like frame she'd held before. _"Not that she doesn't always look good. She just looks a lot healthier now."_

Marie glared at him hurt. "If you're thinking about the woman you've been sleeping with, don't bother. I already know." Natasha and Clint looked at them surprised. "What woman?" Natasha asked and Clint glared at Steve. _"Curse it all!"_ Steve thought. "Marie listen to me please!" He begged her ignoring both Clint and Natasha. "Carol was a mistake!" He exclaimed and he heard Clint mutter "Who's Carol?" to Natasha who shrugged confused.

"Look Steve," Marie began "Its okay, I don't care. I left you. What you did in the meantime is none of my business." She said dismissively though they could all hear the hurt in her voice.

"I was hurting and angry and she was just there. She means nothing to me. You mean everything to me Marie." Steve tried to explain to Marie. He grabbed her face in his hands. "If you don't believe me take it... Take it all if you have to." He said dead serious, staring her straight in the eyes. Marie felt uncomfortable at his honest gaze. She stared back at him for a while before responding. "I believe you." Steve nodded relieved. "But I'm still not going back to S.H.I.E.L.D." Marie responded and Steve felt his heart break. "Where are you going to go?" Clint asked her concerned. She smiled at him. "There's a school for people like me, people with powers. Xavier's school for gifted youngsters." She said and noticed the recognition in Natasha's eyes.

"It's here in New York, Westchester. I already got an invitation to join them. Professor Xavier will help teach me control, and in return he'll most likely offer me a teaching position. After that, I'll see where I'll go from there." Marie said honestly. "So you'll be staying in New York." Steve grinned happily and Marie nodded confirming it. "I have a meeting tomorrow at two, with the professor. Would you guys like to get breakfast before then?" Marie asked them. They all agreed. They all got up to leave. "Steve could you stay?" She asked him ignoring Clint's suggestive wiggling of eyebrows before Natasha pushed him outside. "Sure." Steve said and they heard the two agents drive off quickly. Steve closed the door behind him.

Without either Clint or Natasha in the room with them, they both felt incredibly awkward around each other. "I'm sorry!" They both said at the same time. Marie giggled and Steve chuckled. Marie began earnestly. "I really am sorry sugar. I'm sorry that I hurt you and left you behind because of my fear. I'm sorry that..." Steve interrupted her by kissing her lightly. "No I'm sorry. I'm the fool here. Hell, fool doesn't even cover it!" He said kissing and wrapping his arms around her.

Marie melted into his touch, eagerly responding to each kiss and each caress, as his hands explored her body. "You've filled out in all the right places doll. You look so beautiful." He whispered to her. Marie broke away from his kiss a bit dazed. "Did you just call me fat?" She asked him a bit surprised and hurt. Hurt because he thought her fat, and surprised considering she had kept up her training and had surfed a lot. _"Well I did eat donuts almost everyday. But still, I have abs!"_

Steve shook his head no. "Beautiful is what you are, always have been. You were too thin before," He said softly caressing her hips and Marie nearly purred at the feeling. "Now you're more… muscled, and shaped. I kept wondering if I'd hurt you," He said gripping her hips tightly, and Marie gasped this time. "If I held on to you too tightly."

Steve leaned in and kissed her neck before pushing them down on the bed. Marie giggled. "You look healthy now, like years of starvation have been removed from your body." He continued. One of his hands came to caress her breast through the thin material, as he kissed her throat teasingly. Marie moaned shamelessly on the bed. "I remember every inch of your body." he whispered "I've imagined it so many times these last four months. I kept thinking back to our pillow fort." He smiled against her neck causing Marie to smile too. "I can accept it if you don't want to come back to S.H.I.E.L.D., but I hope you'll come back to me." He said kissing her deeply.

Marie got his shirt off and enjoyed the view. "I'll always come back to you Steve. Even if it seems like I won't." She whispered, before nipping at his earlobe and kissing along his jawline.

Steve smiled. "Then would you mind moving in with me? I'd like to have you close to me whenever I can." he let out and Marie froze. _"Great job ruining the mood Steve!"_ He thought to himself. Marie looked at him perplexed. "First you call me fat, now you want me to move in with you?" She questioned him. "Your words, not mine. I said you looked healthy, not fat. Healthy." he replied cheekily. Marie kissed him, beginning to work on his pants. "I'd love to move in with you Steve." She moaned into his ear when he gripped her thighs harshly.

* * *

Marie woke up naked feeling warm, sore and happy. The alarm on the nightstand read eight a.m. A heavy arm was draped around her, and she felt something wonderful poking her behind. She wiggled a bit, grinning when she heard Steve groan out "Minx!" at her. She turned around and kissed him lightly.

"Maybe, but you're the one who brings it out in me sugar." She replied cheekily. She tried getting up from the bed but Steve held her down. "I'm not letting you go." He murmured still half asleep, looking at her with one eye open.

Marie lifted her leg over his and winced slightly at the soreness. "You okay doll?" he asked her concerned, now fully awake. "Just peachy." She replied grinning at him before her smile fell when she realized she felt something between her legs. "Steve, please tell me you used protection last night." She said slightly panicking. Steve looked horrified at her. "I… uh… did the first time." He replied weakly. Marie felt her heart pumping harshly. "What about the two other times?" She asked not really wanting to know the answer.

Steve blushed and looked away guiltily. "I may not have had enough protection for those times." Marie groaned and fell back on her pillow. "We'll have to make a stop at the nearest pharmacy on the way to breakfast." She told him looking at him pointedly. Steve nodded. "I'm sorry Marie, at that point I'd stopped thinking about it." he explained and Marie shook her head. "It's my fault too." She said forgiving him.

Steve looked at her funny. "What?" She asked him. "Well, considering the deed is already done..." He said looking at her pointedly. Marie sighed. "You seriously want to use this opportunity to have more sex?" She asked him in disbelief and Steve shrugged. "Only if you're up to it. I don't want to hurt you." Marie looked at his messy bed hair and naked body. "Yeah I'm up for it sugar." She lied to him. _"And what a sweet lie it is..."_ she thought happily as he covered her body with his.


	4. Chapter 4

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* * *

Marie and Steve sat across Natasha and Clint at a small diner. Clint and Marie were inhaling their massive amounts of pancakes while Steve and Natasha looked at them in both disgust and amazement. "What?" Clint and Marie asked them simultaneously as they saw their looks. Steve shook his head. "You're disgusting Barton." Natasha told him before looking at Marie. "You too."

"I'm hungry." Marie explained, "Seriously hungry. I woke up with this insane craving for pancakes today." She noticed Steve's worried look and sighed, before shaking her head no. _"No I'm not craving food because I was temporarily pregnant."_ She thought and gave him a pointed look. He blushed but got the point. Marie went back to her eating though this time slowing down.

Natasha looked between the two. "So when are we expecting Captain America jr?" She asked them casually though with a knowing glint in her eyes. Clint choked on his food looking up at them shocked. Steve cleared his throat awkwardly. "Not before a couple of years at least. It's a bit early for that." He explained and Marie nodded. "There may or may not have been a minor panic attack this morning, but we took care of it." she said softly.

"Can we not talk about their sex life? I'm not comfortable knowing about their sex life." Clint said to Natasha who only smirked at him. "Don't be such a prude Clint. I thought Steve was the prude around here." She teased the men around the table. "Hey!" they exclaimed. "I'm not a prude." they both denied. "Yeah, Steve isn't a prude… Anymore." Marie teased him. Clint groaned. "Stop it! My ears are starting to bleed. How about we change the subject to something different," He said "Like what your situation is at Xavier's." They became serious.

Marie sighed before explaining. "I haven't told them anything of importance yet. Just basics." The three were quiet around the table. "I told them my powers were controlling metal, like Magneto's, and that in the end he'd tried to recruit me but that it'd failed and that it had led me to Xavier." She explained. "I didn't want to give up too much information. I was nervous." She admitted to them.

"As long as it holds it should be a fine, if really mysterious, backstory. You should prepare yourself on questions." Clint told her and Marie nodded. "I know." she said. "But I'm not counting on staying for long. I just need a few tips and pointers on how to control the powers, and then I'm out of there." She said. "If something does go wrong I'll tell them the truth, until then, what they don't know won't hurt me." She said and Natasha nodded approvingly.

Steve shifted. "What if this Xavier offers you a job? You said they were short on hand. Will you take it?" he asked her. Marie looked pensive. "I don't know." She said honestly. "Maybe. I'm not sure… If I like it there than I might, they've already left an impression on me." She snorted thinking back on the fight between the two teachers.

Clint pulled out some money from his pocket and placed it on the table. "I think you should give it a chance. If it works out, it works out. If not," Clint shrugged "We'll find you something else that isn't S.H.I.E.L.D. related" He told her.

"I still don't understand why you don't want to come back to S.H.I.E.L.D." Natasha asked curiously as they piled up into the car. Marie shook her head. "Honestly I don't either. I just feel like there's something I'm supposed to do, something important, and I can't do that while working for S.H.I.E.L.D." Marie replied. They stopped at Steve's apartment. _"Our apartment."_ she thought a bit worried and excited. Clint and Steve carried her clothes and bags into the apartment, while she and Natasha spoke. "What's the real reason? Don't bullshit me." Natasha said harshly. Marie sighed. "It's the truth Nat." She replied and Natasha narrowed her eyes at her.  
"Ever since I absorbed Magneto I feel like I'm lost. Without a cause, and its annoying as hell. What happened that night changed me, it's like there's a great part of me that's been replaced by Magneto." Natasha calmed at the explanation. "You're not going to go all evil mutant terrorist on us?" she asked her nonchalantly, as though she'd asked Marie what time it was. Marie grinned at her friend "No need to worry about that. It's not that great a part of me." Marie then turned serious.

She looked at the men who were chatting in the apartment. Steve waved them inside from the window. "But if you do think I'm about to go Magneto on everyone's asses, stop me." She told Natasha simply. Natasha nodded and the two walked up into the apartment chatting about Marie's need for transportation.

Steve and Clint looked up as the women entered the apartment. "I'm just saying you need a car. Keep it." Natasha said as walked inside. "And I'm saying I'll figure it out. I'm not taking your car from you Nat." Marie countered in disbelief at the Russian's generosity.

She looked around the apartment in surprise. It was comfortable and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. The decor had a forties feel to it, but she noticed several modern appliances around the living room too. Steve clapped his hands together. "So! This is home, I hope you like it. If not I'm sure we can figure something out." He said nervously, watching her running a finger over his old record player.

Marie smiled brightly at him and shook her head. "It's perfect Steve." She said softly. _"This is Steve… The very essence of him. His persona is imbedded in these walls."_ She thought happily. Steve felt the butterflies in his stomach settle happily and he smiled brightly back at her. Natasha and Clint flipped on the TV while Steve showed her to the bedroom blushing. "I made some room for your clothes while you and Natasha talked outside." He said and gestured to the open closet and drawers. Marie leaned up and kissed him sweetly. "Thank you sugar." She said while embracing him. They stood like that in their bedroom for a while.

* * *

Marie had been dropped off at the front gates of the mansion turned school. She'd kissed Steve goodbye before he sped off on his motorcycle. Ororo waited for her and looked curiously in the distance at the disappearing man. "Friend?" She asked Marie as they walked up to the professor's office. "Boyfriend." She answered blushing and Ororo smiled at her knowingly. "Does he know that you are a mutant?" the weather witch asked her. Marie nodded. "It separated us at first, I was scared and I left him behind in my fear of judgement and resentment. Stubborn as he is, he didn't give up looking for me and here we are." Marie explained honestly. Ororo beamed at her. "I'm glad you have someone who accepts you for who you are, and is willing to fight for you. It's hard finding someone who'll accept you for being a mutant when we live in secrecy." she said sadly. Marie felt like there was a story behind Ororo's sadness, but she didn't pry.

"Yeah… Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve him." Marie said right before they entered the office. The professor welcomed her, in a much better mood than yesterday.

She sat across him. "I hope you've managed to digest some of the information you received yesterday." the professor told her. "Yesterday was an eventful day." She answered him. "I honestly don't feel like my mind has settled with the information yet, but I'll manage. Now what I'd like to know is what your take is on the best way to control my powers." She told him curiously.

The professor nodded. "When I first met Eric, we were both young and foolish." He began and Marie listened closely, even though she could pull up the exact memory from her mind.

"He already had some semblance of control over his powers, and I don't know how much I'll be able to help you with yours. Ororo however will be." He gestured to the woman. Ororo smiled at her. "Your power is bound to you, it reacts to your emotions, making it difficult but not impossible to control. What I personally found out helped me was meditation." Marie felt a bit sceptical. "Meditation?" she asked disbelievingly, while trying to keep her mind open to the idea.

Ororo nodded and smiled at her disbelief. "Yes, meditation." And so began an hour and half - long discussion on different techniques and theories between the three occupants of the office. Once they finished with the discussion, and Marie had a mental list compiled, the professor turned to her. "Rogue, I would like to offer you a place with us here at the institute if you wish to stay here." He told her and Marie smiled at him. "I appreciate the offer, I honestly I do, but I already have a place downtown." She said gratefully and the professor nodded understandingly. "Of course. Do you have a job?" He asked her and Marie shook her head no. "Not at the moment, I left my last job a while ago and I've been looking around since then." She said avoiding mentioning her year at S.H.I.E.L.D. in details.

"You mentioned yesterday that you have a PhD in engineering?" He asked and she confirmed it. "Would you consider a teacher's position here at my school if I offered it to you?" he asked her. Marie bit her lip. "I've never considered teaching. Besides, I'm young and I'm not sure if your students would take me seriously." She said honestly. The professor and Ororo nodded at her. "We discussed this yesterday evening," Ororo told her "And we agree that the elder students wouldn't take you seriously because of the small age gap between you. So we thought that you'd be put in charge of the youngest children, where the help is needed the most." She finished with begging look at Marie. _"I can't believe they just want to hire me like that! They don't even know me. Or anything really about me."_ Marie thought surprised at their forwardness. _"They must have been hit hard by the loss of Summer's wife."_

"Can I think about it?" She asked them and blushed slightly and the two smiled at her warmly. "Of course." the professor said. "Take the time you need."

Marie and Ororo decided to leave the professor behind and grab a cup of tea in the kitchen. "You're probably wondering why we would offer a job to someone we know so little about." Ororo said and Marie nodded and blew lightly on her steaming cup. They were standing at the counter across each other.

"The professor can't read your mind." She said honestly and Marie frowned. "Isn't reading the minds of the unsuspecting an invasion of privacy?" She'd known he wouldn't be able to read her mind.

Ororo agreed with her. "Yes, and he would under normal circumstances never do so. When Jean died, it was because the school was attacked. The attack was from some secret government-funded organization, they came during the night while we were sleeping. They caught us off guard and they knocked out everyone they could before dragging them away. Some of the children were experimented on." Ororo grew angry and dark, and it started to rain and boom outside from the lightning and thunder.

" _Note to self: don't piss of the weather witch."_ Marie thought. "Jean gave her life to save the children and us, while we were rescuing the children and tearing down the facility they'd been kept at." Ororo looked at Marie calming down, the weather outside following suit.

"Ever since then the professor does a surface scan of the people who enter the institute, to see if they mean us harm." Marie nodded. "Understandable." She agreed. "But he can't read my mind so wants me close to see if I'm a threat." she speculated bluntly and Marie couldn't help but think she sounded like Natasha.

Ororo shook her head no, before sipping her tea and Marie was surprised. "No, that's not the reason. The professor truly want to help those whose paths cross our own, however he can." Ororo smiled and Marie drank the slightly cooled tea. "But he could tell from the short meeting yesterday that you only wanted to control of your power. Your emotions made it clear that you had no ulterior motives." "My emotions?" Marie questioned her.

"The professor is also an empath, though it's not a strong power, it is a side effect from being a powerful telepath." Ororo explained. The short and hairy man walked in and grunted at them. "Shouldn't give up all our secrets to the outsiders 'Ro." He said nodding to Ororo while grabbing a beer from the fridge. He sniffed the air slightly and Marie raised an eyebrow at him. He looked at her perplexed before shaking his head and leaving the two women alone again.

Ororo shook her head lightly. "Ignore Logan. I usually do and it saves me from a ton of headaches." She joked and Marie smiled at the older woman. "I should head home." She told Ororo who nodded. "Remember what we spoke about; try finding the right technique for yourself tonight. I'll help you tomorrow." Marie nodded. She pulled out her phone and texted Steve. She looked up from the cell phone to see Ororo smile at her. "What?" Marie asked her while blushing. "Nothing," Ororo smiled at her pleasantly "Young love just makes me happy." She said and Marie shook her head in denial.

When Marie walked past the gates she saw Steve sitting on his bike waiting for her patiently. She ran up to him and kissed him. "Don't tell me you've been waiting a long time?" She asked him and he smiled at her while shaking his head no. "I really need to get a car." She said as she sat behind him, putting on her helmet. "I thought you liked riding with me." He said pouting. "I do sugar, but I can't depend on your rides forever." She kissed his cheek and he shook his head at her.

* * *

Marie sat in a lotus position on the floor in the living room. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply and evenly. She'd tried several different techniques, and none of them seemed to help her focus her mind. _"Maybe I'm just not cut out for this… DAMN IT!"_ She thought agitated as she started losing her focus again. Marie sighed and opened her eyes. She glared at Steve who sat across her in a similar position on the floor. His eyes were closed and he looked relaxed. _"Of course he'd be a natural at this too. He's a natural at everything."_ she thought a bit jealous. _"Well if I'm gonna fail at this, so is he."_ she grinned. She leaned in and started whispering in his ear. "I can think of a few other ways to spend the evening soldier." Steve opened his eyes surprised and smiled at her. Marie giggled and started full out tickling him. Nothing happened.

Steve looked at her with a knowing look. Marie got up quickly and ran through the apartment laughing while Steve was hot on her heels. They ended tumbling down on the floor of the kitchen laughing their hearts out.

"Where were you?" Steve asked her suddenly serious and Marie felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

"At a friend's place. She was the only friend I had before I was recruited by Clint and Phil. Now I can add you guys to my ever growing list." she joked awkwardly trying to diffuse the tension in the air. "I don't ever want you to feel like you can't come to me with your fears or worries Marie." Steve said to her. "If we want this to work, we need to be honest with each other." Marie sighed, "I know, but it's not easy being honest when I've spent my entire life lying to survive Steve." she argued back.

"I understand that," he said sadly "and I don't expect you to suddenly blurt out every detail of every day from the last twenty years, but I do want you to make the effort." Marie nodded and leaned over to kiss him. "Agreed. I'll try to do right by you Steve, I promise... And it's twenty-one." She said as they both got up and left the kitchen.

"Twenty-one what?" Steve asked confused. "Twenty-one years. My birthday was a month ago." Steve froze before Marie noticed the wheels spinning in his eyes. "Oh no you don't mister!" she told him unhappily. "Don't get any ideas. I don't celebrate birthdays" she harrumphed. Steve grinned coyly at her before enveloping her in warm embrace. Marie blushed. "Then how am I supposed to give you your gift?" He whispered seductively. Marie tried to remember how to breathe. "I don't need a gift…" she stammered out as her brain failed pick up on the hint.

Steve chuckled before letting go, and Marie nearly fell to the floor as her knees started to feel like Jell-O. "Then I guess I'll just call Clint and Natasha and invite them over for some dinner." He said nonchalantly. Marie shook her head clearing it. "You better not sugar! I changed my mind, I'll of course gratefully accept any gift from you." She replied quickly while grinning. Steve grinned back at her. "That's what I thought." He led her into their room.

* * *

" _Am I cut out to be a teacher?"_ Marie wondered as she lay in bed next to Steve, in the pitch-black bedroom. _"Especially to little kids? I mean I haven't been around kids since I was one myself. What if they don't like me? What am I supposed to teach them, it sure isn't going to be engineering... "_ "Stop thinking so loud, I can hear you all the way from over there" Steve muttered half asleep with one eye trained on her. Marie felt her frown disappear. "Go back to sleep sugar, it's nothing." She whispered back to him. Steve shuffled a bit under the covers before embracing her. "Talk." He ordered her and kissed her on her cheek in the dark. "Just stupid thoughts and worries…" She said quieting down. "Do you think I'd be a good teacher?" She asked him suddenly. Marie thought Steve had fallen back asleep when the silence stretched on, but then he answered her. "I don't know…" He muttered sleepily. "And neither will you until you try it."

"So you think I should take the offer from Xavier tomorrow?" she asked, her voice filled with uncertainty. "I think…" he began. "You should sleep on it. You'll know by tomorrow what your decision will be when you talk to him." he muttered and then Steve kissed her head. Marie sighed before snuggling into his side. _"Maybe sleeping on it is exactly what I need to do…"_ she thought suddenly tired. She fell asleep within minutes while in his arms.

* * *

Marie could feel Ororo's eyes on her back even though the woman wasn't in the same room with them. The professor and she had been discussing her employment at the institute, should she accept it, and what it would entail while she was teaching the youngest students. Marie felt nervous. On one hand she didn't know if she was teaching material. On the other she didn't want to let down Ororo, whom she come to like and respect in the short time she'd gotten to know her. "So I'll be teaching them math and physics. Monday through Friday, eight till four." She summarized and the professor nodded. "Of course the schedule will change once in awhile the longer we progress into the school year." He said to her.

Marie bit her lip. "I… I think I'd like to try it. I'm still not convinced I'm the right person for this though." She admitted to him.

The professor smiled kindly at her. "We'll do a trial period of three months, if you don't like it or feel like it is the right thing for you, we'll find someone else." He countered and Marie agreed. The professor then grabbed a couple of books from his bookshelf and handed them to Marie. "Read them. They'll help you prepare for teaching young minds, they certainly helped the rest of the faculty." He told her still smiling. Marie looked down at the thick and old books and barely restrained her sigh. "Thank you, I'll have them back to you by tomorrow professor." He nodded and pulled out a small contract for her to sign. Marie looked it through. Her eyes widened at section that held the pay. "Um… This is way too much professor." she said feeling a bit awed.

He shook his head at her. "Nonsense. It's what I pay all my teachers, and you are no exception." he said firmly and leaving no room for discussion. Marie reluctantly nodded and signed the contract. "I would like for you to stay for dinner tonight, I want to introduce you to the rest of the school and faculty. And now that you are a member of our faculty you may borrow any of the vehicles we have for your own transportation and that of the children." He said assuming she had a driver's license. _"Note to self: get a license as quickly as possible."_ she thought embarrassed. She nodded at him. "I do believe Ororo is getting rather impatient. You may join her in the kitchen if you'd like." the professor told her amused and Marie nodded and left the comfort of the office.

The hallways were bustling with life; children were running around laughing and yelling loudly, while some of the older students either tried quieting them or joining them laughingly. Marie shook her head wondering, _"What did I sign up for?"_ Ororo was placing a Band-Aid on a small boy's knee when she entered the kitchen. His purple skin was the first thing she noticed. The second was his hair colour; it was the colour of rich honey. He glanced up at her and his bright blue eyes shone like the cloudless sky above them. He reminded her a bit of Steve. _"Is this what our child could have looked like if we'd kept it."_ She wondered a bit sad. Marie shook her head free from those thoughts and Ororo called her over. "Can you stir the gumbo? I just need to finish up with Killian here." She said smiling at her. Marie nodded and did as asked.

The young boy smiled at her and Marie felt her own smile gracing her face. "Hi I'm Killian." He said waving slightly to her. "I'm Rogue." she replied. Killian couldn't have been more than six or seven years old she thought. "That's a funny name… I like it." He said honestly and Marie grinned. "I like your name too. It reminds me of a pirate." Killian grinned back at and Ororo groaned. "You had to say it." The weather witch murmured. "I was named after the great pirate Killian Hook, because it's my mom's favourite story, and Peter Pan can fly but Hook can't and neither can I, so we're practically the same person, except my mom tells me I'm so much cooler than him, and Bobby likes to tease me for it, but he's just jealous that his name is boring, because that's what Robert is, but not me I'm cool and so are you and Ms Monroe, we all have cool names, so we can all be a part of the cool names club while Bobby can't because he isn't cool, will you be a part of my club now?." Killian said without pausing to breathe, and Marie shook her head trying to catch up with everything the small boy had said. He looked so hopeful at her with a pout and dog eyes that could break even the coldest person.

"Sure…" Marie responded not really knowing what she was agreeing to. The boy grinned and hurried away to let Bobby know "That I got the cool new teacher to join my cool name club, while Bobby can't!"

Marie blinked and looked at Ororo. "What just happened?" She asked the older woman. Ororo sighed. "You'll get used to it around here." she replied without an explanation. "So!" Ororo grinned at her. "I'm guessing I have a new colleague based on the books I see on the counter." Marie nodded and smiled at the woman. "I decided to give it a trial run." Ororo nodded, understanding her. "If you need anything advice or otherwise don't hesitate in asking me. It's not easy being the responsible one. You're just lucky you got the children, the teenagers and their hormones are the real pain." Ororo jokes and Marie laughed. They spent the next hour talking, joking, cooking and planning Marie's classes. They discussed the different methods of teaching and the level of education that the children were at. Marie felt calm and content working with the older and experienced woman; it boosted her confidence and eased her worry. Their discussion eventually led them to Marie's meditation. "Did you try it?" Ororo asked her. "I did, but it didn't really work out for me. I kept losing focus and thinking and it threw me off. It's definitely harder than it seemed when we first discussed it." Marie admitted. "It'll take years of hard work and discipline Rogue. It won't just happen after three tries… No matter how much we want it to." The last part was muttered and Marie realized the woman was thinking back on her own training.

A light bell sounded through the school and Marie looked up surprised. "Dinner bell." Ororo explained. "Let's head down to the dining hall." She said and Marie nodded. "Oh, I should warn you. It can be a bit of a… Shock the first time you enter the dining hall." Marie only nodded and the two women left the kitchen, Marie carrying the pot of gumbo. "I don't think there's gonna be enough in this pot Ororo." Marie said as they entered the massive and bustling dining hall. There was chatter, laughter and life in every corner. It was a bit overwhelming.

Marie calmed her nerves when she felt several stares and whispers around the tables. Ororo shook her head. "That's for the teachers. The professor has a contract with a catering business for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You didn't think we'd be making the food ourselves for so many children in a regular kitchen?" Ororo raised a disbelieving eyebrow at Marie. Marie blushed a bit. "Right." was her only response.

Ororo led her to the teacher's table where several people were already seated. Marie barely registered the big and blue…. _"Man-ape? Man-bear?"_ who was seated next to the professor. She shook her head lightly, remembering her manners not wanting to be rude. She placed the pot on the table and sat down next to the blue man. "Every one," The professor began and silence fell in the entire hall. It was so quiet you could hear a needle drop. Marie looked at the man with newfound respect. "I'd like to introduce to you our newest teacher. Rogue." Marie felt uncomfortable at the many stares, from students and teachers alike, but she rose when the professor gestured to her. She greeted them all and saw Killian waving at her with a giant grin on his face. Marie calmed a bit and smiled back at him.

"Rogue will be teaching the younger classes in Maths and Physics. Though I'm sure she'll be able to help several of the elder students too in those departments, as she has a PhD in mechanical engineering. Rogue will start on Monday and I hope you all make her feel at home." The professor finished and as soon as he did the noise levels rose several octaves. Ororo, who sat across her, handed her a bowl of gumbo with a smile. "My dear," the blue bear man began and Marie turned to him "May I welcome a fellow scientist into our ranks. I am Dr. Henry McCoy." He said and held out his hand. Marie didn't hesitate in shaking his blue and furred hand. "My pleasure Doctor." She replied her voice tinged by her accent. "A fellow scientist. What field?" Marie questioned, intrigued with the blue bear man. "Please call me Hank," He told her. "Biochemistry and genetics. Though I also teach Maths, biology and chemistry for the elder classes." He explained. "Yeah that's great bub, pass the salt." Logan butted in as he sat down next to Marie. _"Rude."_ she thought but Hank only laughed at Logan. "Logan, I'm glad you chose to join us." He handed the salt to Marie who gave it to Logan.

"Yeah well chuck didn't give me an choice on the matter." Logan sent a sour look at the professor who only sent the man a pleasant smile in return. It was clear that Summers, who was seated at the other end of the table felt the same way. Marie chose to ignore the two men. Another two men were seated next to Ororo. The one on her left was blue too. _"Is that a tail?"_ she thought perplexed. The tail grabbed a can of water and poured in Ororo's glass. _"Okay, definitely a tail… Stop staring at the tail Marie."_ The yellow eyed man noticed her stare and Marie blushed having been caught staring. "Es ist okay, I know my tail can be surprising to those who have never seen it before." He told her kindly in a heavily accented English. "Ich würde nicht unhöflich sein. Ich entschuldige mich." Marie replied back in the German she had absorbed from Magneto.

The man looked at her surprised (as did the rest of the table). "Du sprichst Deutsch! Wie herrlich ist es! Mein Name ist Kurt Wagner." "My pleasure." Marie told the happy man. "Were you born with the tail, or did it appear later in life, if I may ask? I don't want to be rude." She asked the blue and yellow man. "I was born this way, and have lived my entire life like this." He told her proudly. Marie nodded and smiled at him. "Where have you learned German, if I may ask?" Hank asked her from her right side. Marie didn't even blink as she lied. "My boyfriend is a soldier." She said and it was the truth, albeit a slightly twisted truth. "He's been stationed around the world, Germany included, and I learned it after we got together." She said vaguely. Hank nodded, accepting the explanation as the truth. Next to her Logan looked at her funnily and she couldn't help but wonder what brought it on. _"He couldn't possibly suspect anything… Could he?"_ she thought a bit concerned. "A soldier? How did you meet? Oh. And I am Piotr or Peter if you will." A tall man asked her from the other side of Kurt. Marie looked at him surprised. He'd been quiet during the whole conversation, and despite his very large and obvious stature, Marie hadn't noticed him.

"I found out I was a mutant, and I left everything behind after college. I wanted a fresh start." She said thinking back to the escape that Jess had steered her on. "I worked as a engineer for the government, researching and making new tech gear for the military. I met him through one of my recruiters, and we just hit it off. My job and powers eventually led me to have a run in with Magneto. It didn't end all that well. My boyfriend and his team managed to track me down and found me by some stroke of luck... And here we are." Marie said nonchalant as she twisted the truth. "That's quite the tale my dear." Hank said. "I hope your run in with Magneto didn't leave you too traumatized." He said concerned. "Not at all. I've stared down teddy-bears who were scarier and more convincing than he tried to make himself appear." Marie responded with a shrug.

"I'm glad to hear it." Hank said with a smile, and Marie couldn't help but find him charming. "What is your power?" Kurt asked her curiously. Marie bit her lip before replying. "I can control metal. Like Magneto." She said. There was a silence from the table as the men digested the news. Logan growled low in his throat, Piotr looked uncomfortable, while Kurt and Summers straightened in their seats. Hank looked perplexed. "Exactly the same powers?" He asked her with a curious look. _"Oh-oh! Why do I suddenly feel like I stepped in a self made trap?"_ She thought a bit nervous.

"Yeah, why?" Marie asked him worried. Hank shook his head. "Probably nothing more but an old man's ponderings." he said and Marie felt like she should tread carefully around the highly intelligent man from now on, after Hank spared a glance to the professor. _"Good thing I didn't tell them about my real powers if this is how they react when I have a copy of Magneto's power."_ she thought a bit sad. "What about the rest of you? Do you have any powers?" Marie asked trying to break the tension in the air, and removing the focus from herself. It worked like a charm. Kurt happily brought her attention on him "Ich kann teleportieren." He told her excitedly. He then disappeared in a grey smoke that left behind a smell of sulphur, only to reappear beside Summers at the end of the table. He reappeared in his seat again within seconds. Marie gaped at him before grinning. "Cool." She exclaimed excitedly.

Piotr was next. His entire body armoured up in metal before he turned back. Marie understood his discomfort now. She smiled at him and the stoic man managed a small one back to her. Hank looked at her. "I only have a greater physical strength and my senses are increased. Scott can emit powerful beams of energy from his eyes - lasers if you will." The man in question remained silent during the exchange of information.

Marie turned to the man on her left. Logan grunted at her, and Marie was sure he would have sighed if he could, but he felt it too unmanly. "Regeneration," he began and he held out fist. Three claws extended from his hands and Marie couldn't hold back her surprise. She took in the claws before Logan retracted them. "Does it hurt... When they come out?" She asked him concerned. He looked at her in surprise. _"Clearly no one has ever asked him that."_ she thought angrily. "Every time." he said shortly and Marie could see the shame in the faces of the rest of the teachers. _"They've never considered it before."_ Marie didn't need to be genius to realize that the claws were man made. "Are they made from vibranium? I know they'd need to be very durable and strong if you're supposed to fight with them." She concluded thinking of all the consequences of having the metal infused in his body. "Adamantium." He said giving her an odd look and Marie nodded. The rare metal wasn't unknown to her. Around the table people began small talking about everything and nothing to avoid the awkward tension in the air. Logan managed a small turn of his lips at her and Marie smiled brightly back at him. _"Maybe he isn't so bad after all."_ She thought as the discomfort of the rest of the table amused him.

Marie's phone went off. She excused herself from the table and walked out into the hallway.

"Steve, sugar, what's going on?" she asked him when she answered the phone.

" **I'm being shipped out with Natasha. So I won't be home when you get there."** He told her apologising. "It's okay, just stay safe." She ordered him concerned. "Go kick some bad guy's ass. But try not to dent the shield or that fine body of yours, that's an order soldier." She joked smiling into the phone and Steve snorted. **"I'll try."** He told her dryly. **"But I'm not making any promises doll. I'll try to stay in contact with you whenever I can."** Marie snorted. "This isn't our first rodeo sugar, I know the procedures." she said thinking back to the many times he, Clint and Natasha had been shipped out on missions during her time with S.H.I.E.L.D.

" **I know… But I can't help but feel bad, that I'm leaving you behind. We haven't even gotten a full week together."** He said and Marie could clearly hear the annoyance in his voice.

"How about this; you come back in one piece to me, and I'll do that thing you like a lot." She grinned happily. She could hear the heavy intake of breath on the other side. **"Minx. But you got yourself a deal."** Marie laughed happily. "See you when you get back, and stay safe... Or I'll beat you over the head with that shield you love so much." this time Steve laughed. **"Yes Ma'am!"** he saluted her over the phone and they hung up. Marie shook her head happily and walked back to the dinner hall.

She sat down when Piotr said "Аппети́т прихо́дит во вре́мя еды́. " In Russian to the table's occupants, who looked at him curiously. "What does that mean my friend." Kurt asked him curiously. Marie explained as she grabbed another bowl of the delicious gumbo. "It translates directly into the appetite comes with eating, but it means that the actual appetite comes while you are eating. Which is why you might eat less at the actual dinner even though you may have felt a great hunger before you ate, vice versa." She said. They all looked at her surprised. Marie sighed. "Yes, I also speak Russian. I'm a woman of many hidden talents." She told them, digging into her food while ignoring their inquisitive looks.

"You surprise us yet again Rogue. I have a feeling that it won't be stopping here." Ororo told her happily and Marie gulped down her glass of water. "I'll try to keep them to a minimum." She replied to the white haired woman.


	5. Chapter 6

..

* * *

When Marie entered her and Steve's apartment later that Friday night Clint was sprawled out on the couch with a beer in his hand. Marie crossed her arms but smiled nonetheless. "Don't you have your own place?" She asked him. Clint sipped his beer. "Yeah, but I prefer it around here." He replied then eyed the Styrofoam tray in her hand. "Anything good?"

Marie sighed and placed the tray in front of him. She then brought him a fork from the kitchen before dumping herself down next to him on the couch. "Only the best gumbo I've ever had in my life." She said seriously. Clint started digging in.

The two of them spent the next hour watching some crappy movie that neither one of them paid any attention to. _Do you guys really spend all your time moping around, whenever Natasha or I aren't there?_ The Steve in her mind asked her and Marie startled. Clint looked at her surprised. "Everything okay?" he asked her concerned and Marie nodded. They went back to the movie. _"I completely forgot you were still there, I'm sorry Steve. "_ Marie replied embarrassed. _It's okay, in case you haven't noticed I'm only really here whenever you're not with the real me._ Marie froze at the sudden realization. _"Oh my gawd!"_ She thought excitedly. _"Is Cody still around there somewhere?"_ She asked Steve as a theory began forming in her mind. _Yeah, but it's like he's a stuck in the back of a room while I'm filling up the rest of it._ Steve tried explaining to Marie. _"That's brilliant! Steve do you understand what's happening here?"_ she asked him excited. _No, not really._ He told her honestly while confused.

" _I think you may have solved the mystery of why I could never dissolve Cody from my mind."_ she thought happily while forming a plan. She poked Clint who looked at her with tired eyes. "We're going to Mississippi tomorrow. There's something I need to test back home." She told him. Clint raised an eyebrow at her. "Why are we going back the place you were run out from, by the people who claim to be your parents." He asked her seriously and getting angry on her behalf. "We won't be visiting them, I need to visit Cody." And Marie explained her plan to him.

"So you think that because you never saw or spoke to Cody after the traumatic event of your first kiss, that you were never able to dissolve him from your mind, because you deep down wanted him to be alright, and this was the way of your mutation and mind were doing it. Keeping him alive inside you..." Clint summarized and Marie nodded excitedly. "That's fucked up…" he said shaking his head. "We'll leave by plane tomorrow morning." He told her while ordering tickets to the two of them, on his cell phone. Marie grinned excitedly and leaned over to kiss him on his cheek. "You're the best!" She exclaimed happily. Clint snorted. "I know."

* * *

The fresh air, hot afternoon sun and small town atmosphere triggered several old memories that nearly brought Marie to her knees. A heavy and reassuring hand on her shoulder kept her grounded. Marie smiled at Clint who nodded at her.

"I'm fine… I'm just trying come to terms with the fact that it's been six years since I stepped foot in this town… I'll be okay." She lied and she could tell Clint wasn't buying her act. Marie stood in front of the house she'd spent so much time in as a child, playing with her friends.

" _ **A seven year old Marie ran around the front yard, avoiding Cody who was chasing her. He was getting closer, and Marie's heart pumped harder and faster. "You won't get me!" she yelled out while laughing. She ran over to Sarah who wasn't as quick as her, and Cody caught the younger girl. "You're it!" Cody yelled out as he ran in the other direction, away from Sarah who took chase after him."**_

"I'll be here if you need me." Clint told her, and Marie walked up to the door. She took a deep breath and knocked. An old woman opened the door. "Mrs Robbins, I'm Anna-Marie. I was wondering if Cody was here, I'd like to speak to him if possible." She asked gently and the woman narrowed her eyes at Marie. "I remember who you are, girl. You've got some nerve showing up here after all this time." The old woman barked out angrily. "I know, and I would have visited earlier, but college held me back." Marie lied. The woman looked her up and down and then stared Marie in the eyes before calling out. "Cody!"

"What is it Ma?" a male voice called back and Marie felt her heart clench at the familiarity of it. "There's someone here to see you!" Mrs Robbins called out, before leaving Marie hanging at the door. Marie felt like running away and looked over her shoulder. Clint was leaning against a street sign smiling at her. Her nerves calmed a bit.

The heavy steps of someone approaching brought back Marie's attention to the empty doorway. Then Cody stood in front of her and Marie was speechless. "Anna-Marie? Is that you?" He asked her surprised. Cody had matured very well Marie thought as she took him in. "Yeah… I was hoping we could talk." She told him nervously. And Cody sprang into action "Yeah! Of course! Come on in." And Marie joined him inside the living room.

Marie was offered a drink but she declined. The two looked at each other, reminiscing their happy childhood memories. "I came to say." "I want to say…" They began simultaneously and they laughed. Cody, ever the gentleman, told her to go first.

Marie sighed. "I want to apologize to you." She said looking at him with big green eyes. "Marie," He began. "You have nothing to apologize for. I don't blame you for anything that happened." He said seriously. He leaned over and took her hand in his, and Marie absorbed a tiny bit from him before pulling back her hand. Cody looked hurt, but she ignored it. "That doesn't change the fact that I feel like it's my fault Cody." She said while thinking _"Because it is."_

Cody shook his head no. "It isn't, it was a freak accident. And besides, I'm here now, healthy as a horse." He replied happily. "I'm happy you decided to come visit. I was hurt when I woke up and you weren't there." He admitted and Marie's heart clenched from the guilt. "I wanted to be there, I honestly did Cody, but my parents kicked me out and my only option was college unless I wanted to be homeless. You know how they are..." She explained honestly. "I know, I found out when my mom explained to me what happened. Have you visited them?" He asked her concerned.

Marie shook her head no. "I don't have any plans to. They didn't want me Cody, they kicked me out and told me to never return. That hurt more than anything." She admitted to her childhood best friend. "It would only bring me more heartbreak." Cody nodded understanding her. "Where are you living now?" he asked her. "New York." She said with a grin and Cody laughed. "You finally got your big adventure huh?" He asked her. "Not adventure. More like a once in a lifetime experience." She thought back to Sabertooth and the first time he chased her down. Marie shivered slightly. Cody didn't notice. "I'm glad you left Mississippi. You were always destined for greater things than the small town life." He told her. "Yeah, but sometimes I do miss the simplicity of a small town life." She admitted happily. "You could always come back here. If you want to." Cody offered and Marie knew that what he offered was more than he was putting out there. "I have a life now in New York. I'm a teacher, starting Monday, and I've made a family there." She said thinking about Steve, Natasha and Clint. She didn't notice the way Cody's eyes widened in surprise. "Congratulations." He said and Marie only responded with a "Thank you." She didn't realize that Cody had misunderstood her.

Marie rose from the sofa. "I gotta go, I have a friend waiting for me outside." She said and Cody only nodded and followed her out.

* * *

Clint was checking his watch before he caught her look from the doorway. The boy, Cody, gave Clint a look of death. _"Geesh, what's his problem?"_ Clint thought shaking his head lightly. Marie gave Cody a light kiss on the cheek while she said something Clint couldn't hear, before she made her way over to him.

"Everything alright Marie?" He asked her while slinging an arm over shoulder. Marie smiled at him with that million-dollar smile. "Yeah, everything's gonna be alright now." She admitted to him, and the two made their way back to the rented car they'd parked a few houses down. "Good. You sure you don't want me to make a visit to certain someone's while I'm here. It would be a waste of opportunity to let it go." Marie shook her head no. "I don't want you to hurt them, It wouldn't make me any better than them." She said and Clint grinned. "I know, which is why we are going to extract our revenge in a non lethal way." He told her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Clint popped the trunk of their car. With a giant smile Marie looked at him with childish glee. "You didn't? Did you buy out the entire store? And what's inside the balloons?" She asked him taking in the massive amounts of eggs and toilet paper rolls. There were several balloons filled with some heavy liquid. "Maybe, and they're filled with paint. Have I convinced you yet?" Clint asked her grinning. Marie smirked. "Definitely." Clint closed the trunk and the two of them left on a mission.

* * *

The car was parked on the front yard, the trunk open and facing the house. Marie threw another balloon angrily at the house. She watched as the neon green colour clashed horribly against the pale yellow brick facade. Clint cheered her on before firing off several eggs at the two-story house. No one was home, but it didn't matter to Marie. "That's it! Let out your aggressions!" Clint yelled when she accidently smashed a window with an egg. The house was covered in different coloured splats of paint, like a skittles bomb had fallen on it, and it was egged violently while the front yard trees were covered in toilet paper. Her old neighbour Mrs Thomas looked at her surprised. "Is that you Anna-Marie?" The old bat called out. "Yup!" Marie yelled back before throwing another balloon at the house. This one was purple. "You should be ashamed of yourself! Acting like delinquent…" The woman began but Clint threw several eggs after her and the woman screamed and ran back into her house hiding, while yelling out that she was getting the police. Marie threw the last egg she had at the house, and she and Clint jumped into the car laughing like maniacs. They sped off towards the freeway.

They laughed all the way towards the airport in Jackson, when Marie suddenly began crying. Clint pulled over the car in the emergency lane and hugged her tightly. "It's gonna be okay now. Everything will be okay." He reassured her and Marie apologized. "I'm sorry." She said and Clint shook his head. "There's no need to apologize. They hurt you and they should be punished harshly. They don't deserve your tears." He calmed her.

Clint's phone rang and he put it on speaker, not wanting to let go of Marie. " **Barton** ," He was greeted. " **Do I wanna know why there's a bill on my personal credit card, for several dozens of eggs, toilet paper rolls, balloons and different buckets of paint."** Phil's voice asked him. " **Or why there are two plane tickets to Mississippi, one for you and one for Marie, who I'm pretty sure your orders were to bring back to S.H.I.E.L.D. when you found her again?** " he continued.

"Hi Phil." Marie piped out. There was a silence on the other end. " **Hello Marie, I'm glad you're alright."** Phil replied honestly. "There's a completely logical explanation to that, and I'm not bringing her back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Phil." Clint said possessively. Phil sighed. "I can't come back Phil, I'm a liability right now," Marie explained and sniffled lightly. "My powers are sort of going haywire, but I'm getting help." she finished. **"I'll have to inform the Director."** Phil said and Marie smiled.

"I know, tell him he can find me at the Xavier's Institute of higher learning, if he needs me… Oh, and that I've moved in with Steve. If he has any objections to that he can take it up with Steve." Clint high fived her for her diplomatic fuck off aimed at the Director. Marie could imagine Phil; folded arms, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. She grinned and could see that Clint was imagining the exact same thing.

Clint started driving again, a smile on his face. " **I'll be sure to inform the Director,"** Phil said. " **And Clint, you and I are gonna discuss the rules of having my emergency credit card... again. Emphasis on the Emergency."** Clint laughed. "It was an emergency. We had to go to Mississippi on short notice, and I didn't have my wallet with me. That's an emergency." Clint countered. Another sigh was all they heard from Phil before the man hung up. "Ready to head back?" Clint asked Marie while grinning like an idiot. "Yeah." She said still sniffling a bit, but feeling relieved, like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

By the time they'd made it back to the apartment Clint had been called in by S.H.I.E.L.D. and he'd left Marie to her own devices. Marie didn't waste anytime and jumped into bed to meditate. She started searching her own mind for Cody, and after what felt like an eternity had passed, she found him. Marie hesitated but knew that her mind was her own, and that she shouldn't share it with others if she ever wanted to find peace and quiet. She dissolved Cody from her mind with a clean conscience now that she knew he was alive and well back home in Mississippi. _What about me doll?_ Steve asked her from within her mind. _You need to do it to me too._ Marie shook her head. _"I don't think I can sugar."_ She told him. _You have to; it's not healthy for you that I'm here… You need to stand on your own legs, you can't rely on my company when the real me isn't around. You'll end up confusing us, and even though we're the same person, your relationship will never be as honest with the real me, when you only share your thoughts and concerns with the "me" inside your head. You need to switch our relationship._

Marie didn't want to listen to his reasoning. _"What about the consequences Steve?"_ she countered. _What consequences Marie? There are none._ He told her knowingly. _"Yes there are."_ She told him stubbornly. _Like what?_ Steve questioned her. _"I'll get your healing factor, your strength, everything that you are because of the serum, I'll be too."_ she said. Steve was quiet for a minute. _Are you sure? I'm not a mutant Marie you might not. Maybe your powers won't be able to latch on to mine after all this time._ He wondered. _"But it will Steve, otherwise I wouldn't have healed that night on the statue."_ Marie told him. She could feel Steve's whirling emotions at the mention of that night; anger, pain, fear, surprise, acceptance and… love. Marie took a deep breath and stored away the meanings of the multitude of emotions, which surprised her. _Then do it, I'll be much happier to know you're safe in case anything happens again doll, then to be stuck in here unable to help you. "Stuck…"_ Marie thought bittersweet. _You know that's not how I meant it Marie._ Steve said trying to explain, but it didn't do much to reassure her.

" _I'm growing into this great powerhouse Steve, and it scares me. What if the powers one day become too much? What if I go crazy and hurt someone, or someone gets hurt because of what I can do? You know Xavier's was attacked because they wanted to experiment on the children and do only God knows what to them."_ She told him worried and ashamed.

 _You can't spend your life in fear Marie, if that day does come, you know you'll have people by your side to help you... and stop you._ Steve said accepting the truth, and thinking back to her conversation with Natasha. _Do it Marie._

Marie sighed. She knew she was being selfish keeping him there, and a part of her didn't want to do this, but in the end he was right. She couldn't keep him here just so she had company whenever the real him was gone. Marie concentrated, a frown on her face, and started to dissolve him. _"I love you…"_ she admitted to him surprising herself. _I know… But I'm not the Steve you need to tell that to. Tell him when you're ready Love, 'cause I know I feel the same for you._

And with that last thought, the Steve in her mind disappeared forever.

Marie opened her eyes, and found herself crying. She went to bed and fell into an exhausted sleep, thinking that this Saturday had been far too eventful a day. " _I seem to only have those_."

* * *

Marie woke up Sunday morning feeling emotionally drained and exhausted. The bright sun blinded her, even through the curtains, and the noise from the streets below their apartment irritated her. She grumbled as she got up tiredly and readied herself for the lazy day of reading. The quiet in her mind felt odd and it made her feel lonely. She'd always had company, ever since she'd hurt Cody, and having no one now was going to take some getting used to. She walked out of the bedroom not noticing that the alarm read twelve thirty a.m. nor the fact that she'd overslept more than she usually did. She finished her morning routine before finding an old blanket that smelled like Steve, and cuddled down in to the couch still wearing her nightclothes. She, unnoticed by herself, spent three hours reading slowly through the material that the professor had borrowed her, memorizing it all without difficulty before she sighed from boredom.  
She placed the last book on the coffee table and Marie looked at the clock on the wall and froze. _"It can't already be three o'clock! I just woke up!"_ She thought startled. "What the…" She didn't finish the sentence but decided that she wasn't going to waste the rest of her Sunday away inside the apartment. She felt a bit upset that this was a Sunday that she and Steve weren't able to watch movies on together. _"As long as he's safe. That's all that matters."_ She thought only slightly worried, as she always was whenever one of her friends was shipped out.

Marie dressed in a long sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans before going grocery shopping.

Inside the small grocery store, between the aisles of different breakfast cereals Marie was holding a box of Captain Crunch chocolaty crunch. Marie giggled childishly before placing the box in the basket she carried. _"The ideal cereal for the ideal captain…"_ She thought happily. She wandered through the rest of the store piling up different items, vegetables, fruits and of course chocolates. She was contemplating the quick and rather positive turnabout of her life in front of the different brands of milk when someone walked up next to her. Marie sighed never taking her eyes of the milks.

"Yeah, I find choosing between the million brands annoying too. Should I choose Dairy Maid Dairy, Trumoo or heck even Keller's! You know what else I find annoying?" The familiar and authoritative voice asked her. Marie didn't reply. "Wasting my valuable S.H.I.E.L.D. resources on tracking down rogue scientists." Marie picked up a gallon of milk, placed it in her basket before walking over to the cheese section. "Who," the voice continued as the man speaking to her followed her around the store "I'm pretty sure had no real reason to go rogue to begin with. And now I had to hear from Phil! Phil damn it! That my best damn interrogator is back in town because she can't control her powers. I don't buy it D'Ancanto, I want answers, real ones."

Marie turned and glared at the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Look," She told Fury as she threw more packages of cheese than she would need in the basket. "I'm not coming back to S.H.I.E.L.D. as your scientist." She told him annoyed. Marie felt the humming of metal slowly starting to change into a tingle in her fingers. _"Deep and long breaths Marie, deep and long breaths."_

"But you are coming back as my interrogator." The black, bald and eye-patch wearing man rightly concluded. Marie nodded. "That's my plan. I need help with my powers, that's the truth," she said not telling him about her new and troublesome powers. "And I'm getting it. I'm guessing Phil informed you of my newest place of employment." she said and Fury nodded before speaking. "Yeah, about that…" Marie groaned knowing she wasn't going to like what followed. She placed the heavy basket on the ground before turning her attention back to him again. "What?" she asked dejectedly. "A small heads up. Logan used to freelance for S.H.I.E.L.D. You should be careful around him, he worked with the Cap on several missions back in Germany." Marie gaped. "As in world war two Germany?" She asked him, and Fury looked at her amused. "Yes, as in world war two Germany. Logan is older than even the cap." Marie was surprised. "Why are you telling me this?" she demanded, knowing the director would have an ulterior motive. _"His ulterior motive, has ulterior motives…"_ She couldn't help but think.

"Because," The director began "with you inside Xavier's it'll be much easier to make an assessment of him." Marie stared at the director disbelievingly. "I'm working inside a mutant school, filled with potential threats or allies, and all you want me to do is make an assessment of _him_? Mr Growly-pants..." The director lifted his eyebrow at her. "Yes. I don't care much about the rest of the school; Xavier and I already have an … understanding from an earlier disagreement. Unless of course you notice someone turning into a threat against world peace. Then you report it back to me." He finished firmly.

Marie nodded and picked up the basket and made her way to pay for the groceries. "Why do you need a assessment of him? And why do I need to do it? Can't you send in Natasha? She's more suited for this kind of work." She asked him right before they made it to the counter. Fury stopped her. "One. Natasha and Logan have some bad history between them, and he would recognize her by her scent. Two. You're already inside, it makes easier and less suspicious if you get close to him than if we send in someone from the outside. Three. Confidential." He said leaving no room for arguments. That didn't stop Marie.

She held up her bare hand. "Wanna try again sugar?" She asked him narrowing her eyes at him. Fury stared at her hand then at her. He glared but started talking. "I'm working on putting together a team of the best out there. People who can handle threats that not even the military or united nations can. Otherworldly threats. I want the Wolverine on my team." he finished firmly. Marie nodded understandingly. "I'll see what I can find out. From what I've already gathered, he's not on the best terms with some of the people at Xavier's, so convincing him might be easier than you think." She assumed. Fury sighed. "Don't assume anything about the Wolverine D'Ancanto, it'll only get you killed... And don't lie to his face either, he can smell when a person is lying to him. I expect a report back soon on your assessment." With that said the director left her and Marie had a bad feeling in her gut. She frowned and pulled her basket with her the remaining way towards the counter to pay.

* * *

With five heavy grocery bags she carried in her hands, Marie entered her apartment still thinking about the job Fury has given her. She laughed having walked up four flights of stairs and not felt that gasping and heaving feeling she always did when she carried grocery bags home... " _ **Second trips are for losers!"**_ She remembered Jess once telling her in college. Marie smiled as she placed the bags on the kitchen counter, making a mental note to call Jess soon.

She was feeling upbeat and energized like she'd never done before, and decided that the best course of action was to start dinner so she could burn some of it off. She placed the different groceries where ever she thought would be an obvious place for them, not yet feeling at home or familiar with the small kitchen. She worked the next half hour completely focused on the task at hand, not noticing the door to the apartment opening.

The sudden feel of a hand on her shoulder surprised Marie, and she instinctively turned and punched the figure behind her, sending him flying back a several paces. Steve was on the floor grunting out in pain. Marie, though shocked and startled, ran to him and started to apologize. "Steve I'm so sorry! You surprised me sugar!" she helped him off the floor and Steve smiled through the pain. "It's alright doll, I didn't mean to scare you." He said while looking at her surprised' "You pack quite the punch, I wasn't expecting that - or expecting to feel it." He joked as he embraced her and then kissed her lovingly.  
"About that…. We need to talk Steve." She said and immediately saw the fear and concern on his face. "Nothing to worry about, I think, but you said I needed to be honest with you and I'm about too." Steve nodded but the gulp didn't go unnoticed by her. Marie released herself from his embrace and returned to the stove, keeping the pots from boiling over. "What is it doll?" He asked her when she remained quiet.

Marie bit her lip, a nervous habit of hers, before telling him what that had happened since he and Natasha had left Friday. Everything from her realization about the Cody in her mind, to her and Clint's impromptu trip to Mississippi, and finally her dissolvent of the Steve in her mind though she left out her meeting with the Director. That was a discussion for a whole other time. Steve was quiet during her explanation, but smiled when she mentioned her and Clint's payback at her birthplace.

Marie felt nervous and she was afraid that he would be angry with her, for having his powers now too. She waited for the angry blow up or disappointed sigh but it never came. Instead, Steve took her hands in his. "Doll, you look like you're expecting me to be angry with you?" he questioned her, and Marie felt embarrassed. "I kind of was…" She admitted. "Why?" "I don't know Steve, it's irrational. I'm an irrational person. I'm scared you'd hate me for it. I feel like I've stolen something from you, and I can't give it back or make it up to you." She said and Steve leaned in to kiss her.

"Don't be foolish Marie." Steve told her as he smiled against her lips. Marie instinctively felt better and couldn't stop her own smile. "I understand how your powers work, and I would never blame you or hate you. It actually makes me feel a lot better knowing you'll be safe, even though I'm not there ensure it for you." Steve admitted and Marie felt relieved.

"The extra strength certainly does come in handy when I have to carry the groceries up the stairs and you're not here to help me." She joked and Steve chuckled. "I can imagine. Anyways, what are we having?" He asked as he grabbed the lid of the pot. Marie smacked his hand away. "Keep your hands to yourself if you value them." She warned him while replacing the lid onto the pot. "And I'm just making some tomato soup, I didn't know whether or not you'd be back home so early." She said and Steve grinned at her happily.

"What?" She questioned him. "Nothing… It just makes me happy that you think of this place as home." He admitted and blushed. Marie giggled and thought back to her last conversation with the Steve inside her mind. "Steve, wherever you are, that's where home is to me." She told him honestly before kissing him. "Are you ready for the big day tomorrow?" He asked her concerned.

Marie shrugged. "I'm still not sure whether or not I'm teacher material, but I'll guess I'll find out by the end of the day tomorrow." Steve nodded understandingly. "Do you need help setting the table?" "No." "Alright, I'm gonna go grab a shower then." Steve and kissed Marie again. Marie smiled as Steve walked out the kitchen. "How I hate to see you leave, but love to watch you go…" She murmured lovingly. She blushed embarrassed as she heard Steve's laughter as he entered the bathroom. Marie shook her head as she started setting the table for the two of them.


	6. Chapter 8

...

* * *

The blackboard was filled with small chalked notes and numbers, all looped perfectly in a cursive handwriting. Marie stood behind her new desk, staring at clock on the wall that seemed to go impossibly and unbearably slow. _"Five minutes Marie, you can do this…"_ She tried pep talking herself. She took a deep breath and looked over the notes sitting neatly on her desk. She'd made them last night while she and Steve had been enjoying some music from his own days.  
She smiled as she thought back on their evening together. _"Not the time nor the place Marie."_ she thought as she shook her head.  
She managed to calm herself even though she wanted nothing more than run out the door she'd come in through. _"I could use the window, that way I won't have to face anyone...They're just kids Marie… What's the worst that could happen? They might not like me, but a lot kids don't like their teachers… especially their math teachers."_ The sudden change in her thoughts was interrupted as the school bell finally rang. Marie suddenly felt awkward. She didn't know whether to sit down behind the desk or to just keep standing in front of the blackboard. She didn't get the time to choose when the door to her classroom opened and a large string of 7th graders walked in and took their seats. She felt the eyes of every twelve and thirteen year old in the room on her.

The room quieted as she began to speak. "I'd like introduce my self to ya'll, I'm Rogue and I'm gonna be your teacher from now on." She said and she heard someone murmur "Obviously." in the back of the room and the class began to giggle. She ignored it. "Now can someone please tell me what you worked with last?" She asked even though she already knew they were working with exponents and square roots.

A young and shy looking girl held up her hand. Her eyes were completely pink, matching her very long hair to a tee. Her long hair, that was holding a pencil, and doodling on the piece of paper on the desk in front of her. Marie blinked twice at that, but said nothing even though using powers indoors was prohibited. "Yes…" She said while also asking for the girl's name. "Lorelai Travis. And we worked on exponents." The young girl explained shyly. Marie smiled at her. "Thank you Lorelai. Now I want you all to turn to page forty-five and look at some of the questions there, is there anything there you don't understand, or are uncertain about then raise your hands..." as the class proceeded on and she stood explaining basic math to the young children, Marie felt calmer and more at peace than she did at the beginning of the class. The day continued on like this, with three more classes before the final bell of the day rang out. The relief the students in her class exclaimed made her chuckle.

Marie cleaned the blackboard, and picked up her notes from the day, before heading to the professor's office. When she entered, she saw the entire staff there. The normally large and open office felt smaller than ever thanks to the over crowded room. She decided that standing next to Logan, who leaned against a bookcase with his arms crossed looking sour as ever, was her best option at the moment.

The professor welcomed her. "Now that we're all here, I'd like to welcome you all to the weekly staff meeting. Ororo, would you be so kind to inform us of the current status on the green house project that the children are working on?" he asked Ororo. Marie tried listening and paying attention but soon lost interest. One look at Logan said he was ignoring whatever, Scott who held the rest of the staff's attention, was informing them about. Marie tried watching Logan from the corner of her eye, but failed when he immediately noticed it and gave her unimpressed look. _"Must have lost interest too."_ She thought as she looked away not noticing his frown.

"Rogue?" the professor turned to her. "Yes?" she replied immediately, not wanting to be caught unaware. "Would you like to share your first day experience with the rest of us?" Marie nodded. "Sure. Everything was great, the children aren't too far behind - they'll be able to pick what was missed by the end of the next week." She told him honestly. The professor nodded happy at the good news. Ororo turned to her. "I hope the children weren't too unruly or loud today, they can take some getting used to." She told Marie who looked at her surprised. "Not at all, they all behaved like angels." she said and several snorts resounded in the room. "Right, and I'm the queen of England." Logan muttered next to her sarcastically. "No it's true, they were quiet and focused. Even when we were discussing the different topic in the open, they were all quite respectful of each other, never raising their voices." She said to the fellow teachers who were all stunned by surprise. She got the feeling that no one believed her, even the professor looked a bit disbelievingly at her.

" _Must not happen very often."_ she thought surprised.

"Well I'm glad it's working out for you." Hank told her happily. The meeting continued another twenty minutes before it was disbanded when Logan started growling about practice with the juniors.

Marie walked out the door but followed Summers. "Mr Summers." she said getting his attention. He turned to her surprised. "Rogue. Please, call me Scott. I'm sorry, I know I haven't left you with the best impression of myself these last couple of days." He told her apologetically and Marie couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. "It's alright. The professor told me to go to you. I need to borrow a car so I can get to work." Scott nodded. "Yeah, follow me to the garage," he said while looking at her curiously behind the ruby red sunglasses. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but how have you gotten here the last week, if you don't have a car?" Marie smiled at him. "My boyfriend has a motorcycle, and while it's fun to drive it's not ideal for me when I have to grocery shop after work." She told him honestly. This piqued his interest she could tell, and he looked a bit more alive than he had when she'd first laid eyes on him. "Really? What kind of bike?" He questioned her. _"Must be a passion of his…"_ Marie thought happily.

"A Harley-Davidson Street 750." She said and Scott whistled impressed. "Not bad at all. I have Harley-Davidson V-Rod. Or well I used to, until Logan borrowed it. And by "borrowing it" I mean took it without asking." He said annoyed but there was no real heat in his words. "You and Logan don't get along well, do you?" Marie concluded. Scott sighed as they entered the massive garage. "No we don't, but we respect each other. We have each other's backs when it's needed. Logan is a loyal and good man. Even when it seems like he isn't. We're both going through a rough time at the moment, and we just end up taking it out on one another." He admitted with a frown.

Scott gestured to a large line-up of cars, both expensive and cheaper models. _"Hell… The cheaper ones still look like they cost half a mil."_ She thought awed. While the more expensive ones tempted Marie, she did live in Brooklyn now. She took a look around in wonder at the many cars. Scott smiled slightly at her surprise. "We keep a lot of cars, mostly because of the teenagers, so they can transport themselves out of here in case anything happens." He explained and his smile was quickly gone again, replaced by a heart-breaking look. Marie looked further back and saw it. The perfect car… A dark grey Chevrolet Camaro was parked. It was sleek and dangerous. Marie loved it.

She turned to Scott and pointed it out to him. He looked at her surprised before finding the key on the wall and tossing it to her. "I didn't really peg you as a muscle car kind of girl." "Sugar, I live in Brooklyn and it's near the more run down part. People will think the car belongs to a drug lord and leave it be. The perfect security system." She grinned. Scott shook his head lightly. "They're all GPS tagged. Have fun." He told her before leaving her to get acquainted with the car. Marie felt excited. She disabled the GPS by removing it from the vehicle and then she jumped inside the car happily, enjoying the clean and rough leather. "This is going to be so much fun!" she said out loud and excited. Marie gunned the car out of the school laughing like a maniac all the way home.

* * *

When Marie came home she saw a blonde woman furiously knocking on her door. "Open up Steve! I know you're there! I'm not going away!" she yelled out angrily. Marie sighed not wanting to deal with this after a long day at work. "Can I help you? Are you looking for someone?" She asked the woman. Marie had a feeling she knew who the woman was, but prayed to God that she wasn't right at all.

The blonde haired woman turned to her surprised. "No. None of your business." She told Marie angrily before knocking on the door harder and more annoyed. Marie gave her the stinky eye. "It _is_ my business when you're trying to knock down the door to my apartment." Marie said angrily. The woman turned to her surprised. "Your apartment?" she said disbelievingly. "I'm looking for Steve. And this is his apartment." The woman responded angrily to Marie.

" _Great, so this is Carol."_ She thought pissed off. _"Just when I thought I could have an un-eventful day in my life."_ Marie felt her the hum inside her growing stronger. A small tremor passed through the metal construction and pipelines of the building, unnoticeable to the humans in the building. Marie tried to calm down, but found it very hard.

" _Play it cool Marie, play it cool…"_ she thought and took a deep breath. "Maybe you're looking for the old tenant. I moved in here a couple of days ago." She lied not wanting get into a confrontation with the woman. Carol looked surprised. "He's gone?" she said distraught. "Look I'm sorry that whoever it is, walked out on you. But I live here now, and I'd like it if my door was still intact. Can't really live without it, not the best neighbourhood you know." Marie lied as she pulled out her key. She unlocked the door and shielded Carol's view from the inside of the apartment. "Again I'm sorry, have a nice day." She said and closed the door in the face of a hurt and almost crying Carol. Marie sighed as she leaned against the door breathing deeply and evenly. Eventually the tremors that only she could feel faded away. She looked out the peephole and saw the woman walking away, shoulders shaking though she couldn't tell whether it was from sadness or fury.

Marie walked inside the living room and saw Steve looking guiltily, though also relieved at her. She placed her hands on her hips angrily feeling exhausted. "Seriously Steve. You're _hiding_ in here?" Steve winced. "I didn't know what else to do. I was hoping she would leave by the time you came back but…" He finished weakly. "But she didn't." Marie said and Steve nodded. Marie relaxed a bit and then she couldn't help but laugh. "How long have you been in here?" She said gesturing to the living room she had left him in when she went to work this morning. Steve blushed. "Since you left… She came by a hour or so after that, and I haven't moved off the couch since."

Then Marie started full out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. "You've been," she said between her laughs "hiding… here… for …. six …. hours!" She gasped out between the laughs. Steve folded his arms embarrassed and slightly hurt. "Stop laughing, it's not funny. I'm lucky S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't call for me." He said seriously. "I didn't know what else to do, and I didn't want to talk to her. I've already made it clear to her how I feel. She shouldn't have come around." He explained. "Oh Steve!" Marie still laughed.

Her stomach was hurting and she was on the floor rolling like a mad woman. "Oh!" she laughed "Steve!" She crawled to her knees and slowly rose from the floor unable to stop laughing at his misfortune. She walked over to Steve and proceeded to kiss him in between her laughs. Steve sighed and smiled before chuckling too at the situation. "Okay, I guess it is kind of funny." He admitted. "You honestly don't know how to handle women at all." Marie said giggling and embracing him. Steve looked at her mischievously. "I'm pretty sure I know how to handle you, and that's more than enough." He told and Marie grinned. "I don't believe you, I think I'm gonna need some convincing." She teasingly. Steve leaned into her and whispered. "Then let's get a move on ma'am. Into the bedroom." He ordered her and slapped her ass. Marie replied cheekily with a "Sir, yes, Sir!" and a mock salute.

* * *

Marie woke up in the bed feeling happy and satisfied when Steve gently shook her shoulder. He carried a pizza box in his hand and Marie instantly got up, her hunger making itself known to the two occupants of the room, when a large growl emitted from her stomach. Steve joined her under the covers and opened the box before grabbing the first slice. Marie quickly followed his lead. "So I never got to ask you how your first day was." Steve said then bit into the pizza. Marie chewed lazily into her own slice before responding. "Actually it went really well. The kids were nice, surprisingly quiet but nice." She told him. "I also borrowed a car from Xavier, so no more bike-pooling to work." She joked. Steve pouted. "You'll miss it too much. You'll find an excuse soon enough to ride with me." He joked back. "I can find a lot of excuses to ride you." Marie said shamelessly and Steve nearly choked on the pizza. "Minx. New rule: no naughty talking when we're eating in bed." Steve said finishing his slice and Marie grinned.

"Your own fault, it was an obvious choice for me." "So," Steve said grabbing his second slice. "You're in a school filled with mutants, and nothing exciting happened?" He questioned her. Marie swallowed before answering. "Well, I did have this kid in my third period who accidentally turned into a puddle of water because one of the girls surprised him by kissing his cheek. A thanks for letting her borrow his pen. It was very adorable." She smiled happily and Steve shook his head. "I'm still having a hard time believing in all this powers thing, I mean I know it's real. You're the living proof of it, but it's still odd to think about. Back then," He explained and Marie listened closely. "All I had to think about was getting out alive, keeping my men safe. I tried ignoring the horrors of the war, tried ignoring that the war was capable of changing so quickly, turning to so much hatred at once. Now I have to accept the fact that that there are people out there who can control metal objects, or turn into puddles of water… Like the war, it makes me question whether or not God is even real." Marie nodded understandingly and put down her pizza slice. She grabbed Steve's face.

"Steve," She began but she didn't quite know how to help the man keep his religion in these times where religion was frowned upon by the majority of the world, and turned extreme by the remaining. _"Very few know how to keep it in between these days…"_ She thought.

"Just because there is one side to it doesn't necessarily means it excludes the other sugar." She tried awkwardly. "I grew up in a religious home, and after everything that happened to me, after all the pain and anger, after all my education and success, I still like to believe that there's someone up there, keeping an eye on us." She admitted to him. "As time changes, so does the world honey. You need to understand this. The world has grown wiser when it comes to our origins. Science has made incredible advances that you can't logically argue against. You need to understand that religion these days is viewed as a private matter, a personal belief. As long as _you_ believe in it, it doesn't matter how the world changes or adapts. It doesn't matter if animal's start talking, or the world is ending, or if we're put through the greatest horrors of war. It doesn't matter because you have your belief and it keeps you happy and strong." She said and she knew she wasn't very convincing. "I'm very bad at this, sorry." She apologized and Steve smiled happily at her "Don't apologize doll."

"Don't lose your faith or hope Steve, it's what makes you, you. It's what helps you be the great, kind and loving man you are today. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that you _can_ believe in both. It's just up to yourself to find a way to combine them." Steve kissed her.

"While you're horrible at pep talks, I get your point." He told her happily and Marie felt relieved. "Oh thank God." She said and Steve laughed. "Don't quit your daytime job though." He joked and Marie hit his arm jokingly. "You can count on it."

* * *

Two months passed quicker for Marie than she'd noticed. The days were filled with teaching, socializing, working out and Steve. _"Sometimes working out with Steve."_ She thought happily. She was surprised how much at home she felt whenever she was with him, like anything else would be wrong for her. It was wonderful but it scared her at the same time. She couldn't help but keep thinking that something big was going to take her happiness from her and ruin it.

Marie stood in front of the fridge in the school kitchen, having agreed to sleep over in the mansion because Ororo and the professor were leaving to recruit another new mutant. She'd been standing in front of it for the last minute without really finding anything to her liking. Marie sighed and then grabbed a beer that was hidden in the vegetable box. "Because the children would _never_ think to look inside the vegetable box." She sarcastically muttered to herself as she unscrewed the bottle and took a sip. "They would, but they know I'll cut their damn hands off if they take any." Logan growled from behind her. Startled Marie choked lightly on the beer, before turning to glare at the man. In the last two months she hadn't been able to get any closer to the man then when she had first arrived and it bothered her. She knew Logan was a good guy with a sense of humour, but he hid it extremely well. She grabbed another beer and threw it to the man who caught it effortlessly. "I'll buy you a new pack." She said as she sat down on the bar stool next to the kitchen counter.

Logan sniffed the air. "Why do you keep sniffing the air all the time, do you have cold or something?" she sassed at him even though she knew why. Logan was surprised but actually managed an amused smile. "Nah, enhanced sense of smelling and hearing. You smell like someone I used to know, I think." Marie raised an eyebrow at him. "You think?" Logan nodded. "Lost my memories a while back, I've been looking for leads all over the world since then." Marie winced. "Sorry." She said and Logan nodded. "It's alright. I have a home here now and people to take care off. It keeps the pain to a minimum." He admitted to her and surprised himself. Marie bit her lip. She wanted to help the man, and one way to gain his trust was to tell him about Steve. But telling him about Steve would bring down S.H.I.E.L.D. on her head. She sighed, cursing herself, before deciding to do the right thing. "Logan," She began and the man stared at her. "That person I smell like…. He remembers you too I think. He's alive." She said honestly and Logan nearly dropped his bottle. "What?" the man asked her shocked. She put a calming hand on his, and he didn't remove it. "That's not possible." Logan said still shocked. He leaned over and started sniffing her vigorously and Marie was happy that the children were asleep, because this was the kind of thing that could and would start rumours if the right _"Wrong."_ person walked in on them.

"It is Logan." She told him reassuringly. "I can't tell you how, because it isn't my story to tell sugar." Logan almost whined and Marie found it adorable and sad at the same time. _"Though I'm never gonna tell him that."_ "If you want, I can take you to visit him tomorrow." She offered and Logan nodded. "I thought you smelled like him because you were a grandchild or something. I never expected…" He didn't finish the sentence and Marie clenched his hand in comfort.

"It's alright sugar. I'm gonna call him and give him a heads up." She told him. She pulled out her phone and started dialling. Logan watched her every move, like an animal deciding whether or not the being in front it was a threat. It rang twice before Steve finally picked up. **"Hey doll, is the school still standing?"** Steve joked over the phone. Logan took a deep breath and his hand that cradled the beer bottle shook lightly.

"Steve, sugar, yeah it is. I was wondering if you'd mind a dinner guest tomorrow?" She asked him. **"Not at all, who is it."** He questioned Marie. Marie bit her lip before answering. "Logan, one of the teachers I told you about." She told him simply. She'd never explained who Logan really was when she talked about the school with Steve, otherwise she would need to tell him how she knew he had worked with him during the war - and that would lead to her meeting with Fury. Not something she was going to discuss with him, just like he didn't go into detail when he was shipped out on missions.

" **Of course doll, I'll make sure everything is ready for tomorrow."** "Great. Love you, bye." she said and hung up. Marie froze and stared at the phone in horror when she realized what she'd said. Logan seeing her expression smirked amused. "Let me guess, you haven't told him the big I Love You yet." "Shut up." She said quietly while panicking. "Relax kid." Logan tried to calm her. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm sure he feels the same way or he wouldn't be with you." Marie gently smacked her forehead on the kitchen counter while groaning. "Why is my life a mess? Why couldn't I have been born normal?" She muttered and Logan snorted. "A pretty girl like yourself? Because then life would have been too easy on ya darlin'." He said and Marie sighed before finishing off her beer. "So the whole thing with you working for the government." He stated, and Marie had to hand it to the man. He was clearly more perceptive than one would presume at first. Marie sighed. "S.H.I.E.L.D." She admitted and Logan tensed. "But I swear I left them behind, I stopped working as their scientist. They found out I was a mutant, so did Steve… I left them because I was scared. Then Steve searched for me and he found me again and when he did, I made it clear to him that working for S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't what I wanted, and here we are." She explained to him then finished her beer.

"I don't like it." Logan commented. "You don't have to… And I don't expect you to trust me, a stranger, right away. People who do are naive." She said and she knew her way of thinking would be similar to that of his own and that it would appeal to him. "But I will earn your trust at some point Logan." She finished and Logan nodded. "I'm keepin my eyes on you." He warned her but there was no real heat in his words. "I'm counting on it." She replied. Marie got up and decided to check on the kids. She walked out of the kitchen and could feel Logan's eyes on her back the entire way.

* * *

Marie woke up from a fitful sleep by someone knocking on her door continuously. The discomfort of having slept in a strange new place without Steve made it impossible for her to rest properly. She looked at the alarm next to her on the nightstand that read five-thirty. She groaned and got up, stretching her body, but finding no release. There was another heavy knock on her door. She opened and found Logan waiting for her. "Get ready and meet me down stairs in the danger room." He said throwing some workout clothes at her. Marie grabbed them and groaned. "Do I have to? I'm not an x-man." She tried to weasel her way out of the workout session with Logan. "Chuck asked me to help with your powers. We need to make sure you can handle yourself in case anything happens to the children." he grunted and left her hanging in the doorway. Marie shook her head tiredly but changed into the clothes nonetheless.

Ten minutes later she was standing in the large oval room, while Logan was giving her the detailed explanation behind the programming of it. "Now we'll start with basic hand to hand combat." Marie raised her hand in the air like the children in her own classes. Logan sighed. "What?" He asked her annoyed. "I'm fully trained in different martial arts." She told him. Logan rolled his eyes at her. "'Course you are…" He raised an eyebrow at her before circling her. "Then show me what you got." He said and attacked her with a right hook that Marie blocked easily. She grabbed his arm and flipped him over herself and hard into the ground, a foot pressing down on his chest. She never broke a sweat. Logan looked impressed. "Not bad kid." He admitted before he attacked her again, this time not holding back.

The fight was long; they each managed to block the other's punches and kicks. Both were experienced, and Marie was surprised by the grace Logan held while fighting. She'd been expecting the more animalistic approach because of his feral side, but his actions were completely controlled. He was clearly well versed in different martial arts too. She'd noticed this by his combination of Jujitsu and Wing Chun that made up his fighting style. She didn't think the older man even realized he was using them, but that he did them rather instinctively. Her analysis of his fighting distracted her, and led to Logan managing round-housing her in the side. The heavy pain in her ribs was instantaneous and Marie fell to the floor out of breath, but the very second she did, she jumped up again landing on her feet. She responded by attacking him with several hard punches, and Logan fought to block the quick array punches, but couldn't keep up with her speed. A sickening crunch sounded in the room as Logan's nose broke. They both froze.

Logan looked annoyed while Marie was upset. "Logan I'm so sorry!" she started apologizing. The man only held up his hand. "It's fine kid." He said and the nose crunched some more, as it healed itself. "Ew." Marie said looking and feeling disgusted and guilty while Logan rolled his eyes at her. He entered an offensive stance again, and Marie followed his lead. This time Marie attacked first. She took a few steps back before running at him. Logan expected her to go for a kick in the gut; exactly what she wanted him to believe. Instead she jumped over him, and landed on her feet behind him, before springing herself up and wrapping her legs around his throat. Marie choked him as hard as she could with her thighs and thought in a moment of distraction that Natasha would have been proud of her. Logan fought hard against her grip, and they ended up tumbling to the floor, Marie still choking him, never once letting go. Eventually Logan pounded his fist on the floor three times and Marie released him.

Marie grinned and offered him a hand. "Not bad huh?" She said excited while her heart still pumped frantically, and the adrenalin still filled her body. Logan accepted the offer, and Marie pulled him to a stand easily with the extra strength she possessed thanks to Steve. Logan grunted and rubbed his neck, even though his healing factor had healed him from any lasting damage. "You're a lot stronger than you look kid." He said eyeing her suspiciously. "I was sure you would've broken my neck if I hadn't called it." Marie shrugged awkwardly. "I work out a lot." She offered as an explanation. Logan shook his head. "Anyways, let's get started on the real fun." He grinned and Marie had a bad feeling.

Logan yelled out an order to the computer in the room, and around them the bare room faded away. In its stead was war like scenario. The sky was a dark orange, buildings surrounded them though they were all either destroyed or blasted to the ground. She could hear explosions and gunfire in the distance. Marie turned to look at Logan. "So... What's the plan?" She asked him suddenly nervous. Logan grinned at her while releasing his claws. "Don't get killed." he said before remembering "Oh, and only use your powers - no hand-to-hand… I like to think the best way to learn how to control and use your power is in the heat of a battle." With that he ran off and Marie debated whether she should follow him or not. The choice was taken from her when an explosion near her knocked her off her feet. Marie sighed annoyed as she got up again.

She unleashed the small hold she had over Magneto's powers. The ever-present hum from the metal around her turned into a tingle throughout her body. "OVER HERE!" She heard someone yelling and then she saw several men coming at her. "MUTANT BITCH!" "DIE!" "MUTIE!" They yelled and the man who led the troop (who also carried a machine gun) opened fire at her. Marie reacted instinctively. She held up her hand and stopped the rain of bullets mid air. The men ran towards her and Marie focused harshly on the task at hand. Several beads of sweat rolled down her face, as she tried turning the bullets around so they faced the men instead. She was about to fire them back at them when a second explosion sounded and Marie lost focus. The bullets fell to the ground and Marie took it a sign to high tail out of there.

She ran away and ended climbing and jumping over several large pieces of building debris. There were a multitude of iron wires sticking out of the concrete pieces that clawed and tore at her skin, but she ignored them and refused to take notice. Marie forced herself to continue on. She kept running until she hit a dead end, in the form of three buildings collapsed in on each other that blocked the road ahead. Marie panicked and her powers started to work up a frenzy. She heard the yells of more mutant haters that were closing in on her location and every metal object around her started floating around her in a protective vortex. Marie stared at the concrete obstacle in front of her again. She tried separating the buildings by pulling the steel wires and constructions from each other, but they were too heavy and too much for her. The vortex of magnetism that surrounded her quieted down as she exhausted herself. About a hundred feet away she noticed a man. "Oh fuck!" she cursed when she noticed the large bazooka on his shoulder. "A bazooka! Seriously!" She yelled out. No sooner the man fired the weapon. Marie stopped the rocket at once, making it land at the man's feet. The large explosion sent the man flying in several pieces to the ground.

Having dealt with the most immediate threat, Marie looked around when she finally got an idea. She walked up to a floating car roof and examined the metal. She focused solely on it, and it lowered to the ground, as did the rest floating metal objects. She nervously stepped up on the car roof. "Gently Marie…" She muttered to herself as she focused on levitating the piece of metal with herself on board over the blockade of destroyed buildings. "Gently…" She told herself again as she began rising so very slowly from the ground. She was about a foot over ground, feet shaking nervously on the piece of metal when she let go of the breath she didn't know she'd held. The relief was temporary. Marie couldn't hold back the scream when she suddenly flew several feet through the air. She was violently thrown off the floating metal and over the wall of buildings. Right before she crashed, the illusion of the battlefield faded away. Logan ran towards her and caught her during her free fall. They both grunted and groaned as they collided with the floor.

Logan pushed Marie off him and she rolled onto the floor unharmed, having been protected by his body. "Kid…" Logan nodded at her as they both lay panting. "From now on you have danger room session with me, twice a week." he grinned happily as he was getting up again. "I'd rather not." Marie grunted out exhausted and not moving. "Come on, it wasn't that bad." He smirked as he offered his hand to her and Marie sent him a disbelieving look, though she accepted it just as he had earlier with her. "Besides," he told her "It's a good way to let go of your powers once in awhile and make sure Times Square is left standing." He said with a joking tone… or as joking as the Wolverine got. "Chuck filled me in." He explained. Marie sighed but had to admit the man was right. The usual hum of the powers was completely gone. "Fine…. but once a week" She exasperated but she smiled at him. Logan shook his head no. "Twice, and that's me being considerate to your personal life. Now go shower, we have kids to teach." He ordered her. Marie sighed but headed upstairs with him anyways, never noticing the people who had kept watch inside the observation room.

* * *

Inside the observation room the professor sat with Hank and Ororo by his side. Ororo sighed. "Are you sure about this Hank? I mean it is possible for two people to have the same powers. We have several children that can control the same elements, such as fire. Why would Rogue and Magneto be different? She's clearly not as powerful nor experienced with the control of metal as he is." She asked the blue man-ape concerned. Hank took off his glasses and cleaned them in his lab coat. "That may be Ororo, but the statistics of having the exact same powers without being blood related is almost non-existent. Even the children here, who control the same element, fire for example as you say have developed their powers in a completely unique way and use them in completely unique way. Not one mutant child we've ever come across has ever had the exact same power as another. The rarity of it is only found in twins, and even rarer, blood relatives."

The professor frowned. "But still," He told Hank "isn't suggesting that Rogue is Eric's daughter a bit far fetched?" The professor questioned his friend concerned. Hank sighed. "I'm not saying she is, and we'll never know completely without a DNA test, but I'm not ruling it out either." He exclaimed worriedly.

"Charles, we both know of the rumours about Magneto's children. The fact that he tried to recruit her as Rogue claims, could point to the fact that she _is_ his child, though she may not know it." He finished.

"I for one suggest we leave it be for now," Ororo said "it will not change anything. Rogue is our friend and colleague and we should not snoop into her private life without her consent, but let her come to us in her own time when she is ready." The weather witch finished firmly.

The professor nodded. "Ororo is right. If she truly is Eric's daughter, then he will show himself soon enough again. I know him too well, he would never let one of his children stay here even if they chose to." He said shaking his head at his old friend. Hank nodded and that was the end of that discussion. "She has great potential of control, and from what I've gathered she not only control magnetism but possesses enhanced strength, stamina, speed and healing. It's uncommon for a mutant to have secondary mutations." Hank noted while rubbing his furred jaw.

"Truly?" Ororo questioned him shocked and he nodded. "You weren't here at the beginning of the sim my dear, but our Rogue slashed her legs deeply against several steel cables and wires, causing much blood-loss. Now at the end of the sim there only remains a slight pink line, indicating she was ever hurt." The professor agreed. "She possesses an agility on par with Kurt, and fighting skills unparalleled. I believe there is more to Rogue than she is willing to tell us at the moment." He finished and Ororo didn't know how to feel. She rose from her seat. "As I said before. When she is ready, she will confide in us." And with that she left the two men alone in the observation room, while she concernedly thought, _"I hope."_

* * *

 _..._


	7. Chapter 10

...

* * *

"No Joshua, you can't divide with zero. When you divide by zero it equals zero." Marie tried explaining to the young boy that sat and stared at her like she was speaking Chinese to him. This was the last class of the day and Marie felt both anxious and excited. She couldn't wait for the dinner she had later with Steve and Logan. It had been on her mind ever since she started class this morning. She prayed that everything would go down without a hitch, and that Steve and Logan would become close friends. Mostly because she liked the older man but also because it would help her with finishing her assessment of him.

The small boy, Joshua no older than six, looked put out. "Ms Rogue! Ms Rogue!" A young girl with brown hair and pigtails said excited as she raised her hand. "I think Josh means one! The number one! The answer is one!" Marie smiled at the eager and excited girl who Joshua pouted at, but then he nodded. "Yeah I did Ms Rogue, what Penny said." Marie laughed. "I guess I must have misheard Joshua, I apologize." She joked while the children thought her serious. "I think I need to get my ears cleaned more thoroughly." "It's okay Ms Rogue." The boy said while looking at her seriously. _"He's so adorable!"_ She thought happily. "We all make mistakes." Marie couldn't hold back the amused snort that escaped her, but luckily it was drowned out by the sound of the last bell of the day and the trampling hordes of children of various ages in the hallways.

"Alright!" She yelled out amongst the excited chatter inside her classroom "I want ya'll t' finish page twenty-two 'till Thursday!" She sighed and knew it was losing battle raising her voice as the children laughed and yelled and ran out the door in a hurry.

Marie tried cleaning up the classroom from the littering papers and pencils when she heard someone clearing their voice behind her. She turned and saw Logan looking awkwardly at her. _"Aww… He's nervous."_ She thought sweetly, while fighting the urge she had to pat him on the head like she would a child. "You ready?" She asked while smiling brightly at him. _"It's now or never."_ She thought shaking off her worry. "Sure. I'm driving." He said nonchalant and Marie could tell he was trying to play it cool. "Hell no. I'm sure your masculinity can survive a quick drive with me behind the wheel. Trust me, you won't lose your man-card." She told him while narrowing her eyes at him. Logan growled annoyed but followed her out to the garage anyways.

Marie was patiently waiting in the long line on the freeway humming along to the radio, while Logan was growling more and more at the never ending line in front of them. "I thought you said it was a quick ride." He growled at Marie. She raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him. "Yeah, it usually only takes a hour. I don't know what's with the hold up." Logan took a deep breath. "An hour is a short ride to you? Where do you even live?" He asked her impatiently as the man driving the massive truck that was parked behind them started honking at them… Again. He'd been going at like crazy the last twenty minutes. Logan turned and sent the man a death glare, though it did nothing when it met the toned back window of the car.

"Brooklyn. It's where Steve's from. He feels at home there." Marie told him while drumming lightly on the steering wheel to the tune of the song that played from the radio. The song was interrupted by the local traffic news. **"The accident on I-678 N has been cleared, and we're expecting traffic to slowly lighten up the next half hour. So if you're driving on the I-678 N we urge you to drive safely and responsibly. This was today's traffic reports brought to you by WCTR, have a great day."**

"Finally." Logan commented. Behind them the man in truck honked at them again. Though this time he held his hand down, keeping the honk long and painful for Logan's over sensitive hearing. Logan cursed him and angrily got out of the car. "Logan, don't!" Marie tried stopping him but failed as he marched on.

She turned and watched, along with several other drivers, as Logan knocked on the window to the annoying truck driver. _"Don't open it… don't open it…. Don't.. Great, he opened it."_ She thought as the man rolled down the window. Logan smashed the fat man's head hard into the steering wheel making it honk several times. Marie, and the spectators from the other cars all winced. Logan said something Marie couldn't, and didn't want to hear she was sure, to the man before climbing back inside the car with her.

The line in front of them finally started to move. Marie slowly sped up, while she gave Logan a look before sighing. "You should put on your seat belt." She told him. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I heal." He grunted out. "Yea but do you pay? 'Cause I ain't payin' your damn fine." Marie said annoyed and firmly when she saw a police car a couple of cars ahead of them. Logan tried staring her down, but Marie was having none of it. In the end he growled and put on the seat belt. "I think we can both agree you're not a city person, sugar." Marie joked as they finally flew along the freeway, slightly faster than the limit allowed. Logan snorted amused. "What gave it away?" He asked sarcastically. "Your charming personality of course." She grinned.

When they finally reached the door to the apartment the hallway had filled with the lovely smell of cooking. Marie felt the violent growl and painful turn of her stomach and she could tell that Logan felt it too. She unlocked the door and called out jokingly "Honey! I'm home!" "In the kitchen!" Steve called back seriously. "Right, forgot he wouldn't get the reference." She murmured and Logan looked at her funnily. "You ain't the only one who lost a couple of decades Logan," She said seriously. "But Steve will explain it to you." She finished and Logan nodded. She pulled Logan along to the kitchen, because she feels his reluctance. Steve was wearing an apron that said kiss the chef, Marie had bought a month ago.

He was bent down in front of the oven, in the middle of turning a chicken, when she and Logan entered. "Steve this is Logan." She introduced and then stepped back, giving the men some room. Steve looked up and both men froze in shock. "Logan?" "Cap?" They questioned simultaneously, unable to believe that the other was still alive. "How?" They both said and Marie sighed. She walked up to Steve kissed his cheek and removed his apron. "I'll finish this sugar, I can see you both have a lot to talk about." She told him. Steve turned to her surprised. "You knew? How?"  
"I wasn't sure, but then Logan told me I smelled like an old friend of his and thought I was his granddaughter. That's when I made the connection." She half-lied and prayed Logan was still too shocked to notice it. Marie grabbed two beers from the fridge, opened them and handed them to Steve. She then ushered the men into the living room. "Go… Talk." she said and the men left her behind. She kept watch on the food Steve had prepared, but leaned against the doorway whenever she could, wanting to hear their conversation. While Steve was telling his story to Logan, Marie finished the dinner. Not that there was much to do, Steve had finished everything but the chicken, so she began setting the table, using it as an excuse to join them in the living room and listen in on their talk. _"I feel like I'm a fifties gossiping housewife. Then again, you can't avoid that when in a relationship with a man literally from the forties."_ She thought accepting the fact.

"Sometime ago I wish I'd died in the ice, that I never made it." She overheard Steve admit and her heart clenched painfully at the thought. "But then I realized how lucky I was S.H.I.E.L.D. revived me. They gave me reason to fight. They gave me Marie… and she gave me a reason to live." Marie couldn't stop the hot blush that made itself known on her cheeks. She felt a thousand butterflies inside her, flying around in her stomach, and she knew that he loved her as much as she loved him.

"Marie huh?" She heard Logan say and the love-induced moment was over. "Damn it Steve." She muttered as she heard Steve curse. "Don't tell her I said that, she'll kill me." Steve groaned to Logan who grinned amused.

Marie walked in and placed the chicken on the dining table. She then walked over and kissed him sweetly not caring that she was making both men uncomfortable. "Sugar, how could I ever kill you when you say the sweetest thing about a gal." She said lovingly before narrowing her eyes at Logan who only smirked. "You ever tell anyone that's my name, I'll kick your ass again. Clear?" She told him. "Crystal… Marie." Logan replied looking amused while Marie groaned. "I'm never gonna live this down. Thanks Steve." She huffed out annoyed, before walking back to the kitchen to grab a pitcher of water. She pretended not to hear the muttered "Women." That was followed by a sound of agreement.

The dinner went by peacefully with light banter and good company. It was only when the men had retired with another beer, and Marie began cleaning off the table that Logan started telling his story. The clearing of the table grew slower, and the carrying of the remaining food went quicker until she finally stopped all pretence and leaned against the entryway to the living room and listened in curiously. Fury had told her that Logan was old, and that he'd served with Steve at one point but he'd never gone into details. _"Maybe Fury doesn't even know…. Huh… That would be a first."_ She thought.

"I woke up almost twenty years ago with no memory on the Three Mile Island. I didn't know who I was, or what I was, and at that point I wouldn't even have been able to remember you, cap. All I knew was what my gut kept telling me, that I couldn't stay there so I ran." He began his story. Steve listened closely, and Marie felt sorry for Logan. "I spent years hiding in the woods, more animal than man, lost. Alone." Logan sighed. "After a while, and by awhile I mean twelve years, I came across a small town where I ran into Sabretooth." He said and Marie shivered uncomfortably while Steve's face contorted in anger. It didn't go unnoticed by Logan who raised an eyebrow at them, but continued with his story.

"We fought, and it was a long and violent fight, and I ended up on the ground. Sabretooth was about land final blow when he was struck by lightning that threw him three feet of the ground. I couldn't help but think _"What a lucky bastard I am"_ but it turned my luck came in the form of African goddess who could control the weather. She was accompanied by bald and wheelchair bound man. I wanted to flee 'cause the fight had left me exhausted, even with my healing. But I stayed where I was and he told me he could help restore my memory and he did, some of it. The majority of my memories are lost for good, nothing to be done." He said and continued to tell them of his life, the parts he did remember.

His life with the woman Silverfox who tricked him to save her sister, his time in Japan where he fell in love and learned the ways of the samurai and his childhood as the second son of the wealthy landowners John and Elizabeth Howlett in Alberta, Canada during the late 19th Century. Victor Creed the brother. Stryker. When he finished Marie walked over and hugged him wanting to comfort the hurting man. Logan tensed but soon hugged back.

Steve cleared his throat soon after. "Where was my hug when I told my story." he muttered while Marie and Logan let go of each other. "Don't be jealous sugar, it doesn't suit you." Marie tried to sooth him, but she walked over to kiss his cheek anyway. "Seems like you got the better deal here, Cap." Logan commented amused. "Yeah. I did." Steve agreed happily.

* * *

Marie stood next to Logan outside the apartment building waiting for the cab. He had cigar between his lips, the tip glowing a bright orange in the evening light. "You're lucky kid." He told her, breaking the bubble of companionable silence that had enveloped them. "I know." She replied simply while wondering when she would get the call from Fury. "Thank you for doin' this," Logan said. "If S.H.I.E.L.D gives you any trouble you tell me. Got it." he told her seriously. Marie nodded. _"Like I'd ever say no to an offer of help from the Wolverine."_ She thought jokingly.

"I can handle Fury and his minions... It looks like Steve… no, you both needed this more than I could tell." Marie remarked. Logan sighed. "When you live as long as I have, or have experienced as much we both have, than a friend is worth more than gold." She could see the yellow cab in the distance. "You know you're welcome here anytime sugar. I'm sure Steve would appreciate it if you stopped by once in awhile." She told him as the cab finally parked in front of them. Logan nodded and got in to the cab. "See ya tomorrow… Marie." He grinned as he closed the door. "Goodbye Mr Howlett." She snarked back at him and heard him growl as the cab sped off. Marie shook her head before re-joining Steve inside the apartment.

Steve was sprawled out on the couch, his arm over his eyes covering them, when she entered the living room. "Steve." She spoke his name, trying to get his attention. He moved his arm slightly away and she saw his contemplative look. She sighed before making herself comfortable on the floor in front of him. "Talk to me sugar." she told him kindly. "It's an odd world we live in." "I know." She replied and this time Steve sighed. "It just feels… unreal that Logan is still alive, but at the same time it makes it feel less lonely to know I'm not the only one out of time. Even with you by my side Marie, I sometimes can't shake the feeling of wariness whenever I step outside the door. Some days I feel like never leaving the apartment, and the very thought makes me feel ill. Everything is different now, there is literally nothing left of my sense of home and normalcy in this time. Everything I ever owned that was considered modern back then, is considered …. Vintage and old fashioned." He cringed at the word old, and as much as it amused her, she didn't laugh. She understood the seriousness of the conversation.

"I'm not gonna lie sugar," she told him "it probably won't get easier with time." She saw his face fall. "But you'll adapt more and more. You have Logan to talk to now, someone in almost the same boat as you, someone who can understand you better than even I can. And I'll help you, anyway you need me to, I'm here for you - all the way." She reassured him.

Steve stared into those big green eyes, smiled and leaned in to kiss her. "Your pep talk has definitely improved." He murmured happily against her lips. "Wanna know what else I've improved at?" She teased him while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at him, wanting to lighten the mood. Steve snorted out loud. "Get your mind out of the gutter." He told her jokingly while shaking his head and Marie pouted at him. "I happen to like the gutter. It's rather comfortable down there. It keeps everything more… interesting." She said while letting her hand wander across his abdomen and across his belt buckle.

She "accidentally" brushed her hand slightly harder over his crotch. Steve took a deep intake of air. Marie grinned, loving his reaction to her. She kept up the brushes for a while before she finally removed her hand again from his abdomen. "But if that's what you want sugar." She said getting up and walking out of the living room. She was standing in front the bathroom door when she heard Steve call out. "Minx!" "You love it!" She called back to him as she closed the door behind herself.

She started the shower and it didn't take more than thirty seconds until Steve had joined her under the hot and steaming cascade of water. Marie loved every second of it, and she could tell Steve was too. Steve had embraced her lovingly and tightly, while leaving a trail of kisses from her earlobe down her neck. Inside the bathroom the rest of the world and their worries faded away, leaving them in a cocoon of companionable silence.  
Marie pulled away slightly from Steve and looked at him with wide green eyes. "I love you Steve." She told him and the confession felt so much more intimate when she said it now, naked in every sense of the word, with nothing holding her back. Steve smiled and leaned in to kiss her on the lips, sending Marie's heart into overdrive. He took her face in his hands and stared at her. Marie could see a myriad of emotions in his bright blue eyes. "I love you too." He replied honestly and Marie felt a like a heavy weight of worry and stress had been lifted from her heart.

* * *

Marie glared at the phone vibrating violently on the nightstand through squinted eyes. The alarm next to it read six thirty. _"Please!"_ she begged in her mind. _"Let me have my Saturday! Just today!"_ she groaned but picked up the phone anyway. She sighed when she saw who the caller was. "D'Ancanto." She said tiredly. **"Get your ass into gear, you're needed. Phil will pick you up in ten."** No sooner than he barked out the order, he hung up on her. "Good morning to you too Director." Marie murmured tiredly. She left the warmth of the bed reluctantly but got ready in less than five minutes once she did. Marie took a moment to stare at the empty left side of the bed where Steve would normally sleep. _"Relax Marie… it's only been a week. He'll be back soon."_ She thought trying to reassure herself, but the desperate feeling of anxiousness clawed away at her. _"Then why can't I shake this feeling?"_

A knock on the front door disturbed her worry and when she opened it, it revealed Phil standing there looking impeccable as always. He had two coffee mugs in his hands and a bag of pastries.  
"You're my hero Phil!" Marie exclaimed grabbing the offered coffee and bag. Phil smiled at her as they left the apartment behind. "What can I say I'm a regular Captain America." He snorted. Marie grinned as she entered the waiting SUV. "Should I tell Steve that he has competition for me?" She asked him mischievously. Phil choked slightly on his coffee. "That's not what I meant." He stated while clearing his voice awkwardly. Marie laughed. "Whatever you say sugar. So what's the deal, why are ya'll interrupting my beauty sleep this early in the mornin'?" She asked him curiously. Phil steered the car down the almost empty streets of the Saturday morning Brooklyn. When they stopped at the first red light, he pulled open the glove compartment and handed her a manila envelope. Marie looked at it before her curiosity won out and she opened it.

There was a picture of a man whose skin was a darker blue than even Kurt or Hank's, his eyes were blood red and they contained no iris. His hair was a bright white, like her stripes. "The Corruptor. Identity; unknown, Origin; unknown. Date of birth; unknown. Marital status; unknown. Known associates; unknown. " She frustrated read out loud. "Seriously?" She commented disbelievingly at the last one. "What _do_ you know about this guy?" She questioned Phil who looked uncomfortable. "We believe he's an enhanced." Marie raised an eyebrow at him. "Enhanced?" She asked curiously. "I find the word mutant derogatory, so Clint and I came up with this one instead. It covers both the mutants and people with powers who aren't mutants." Phil explained and Marie grinned. "Aw Phil! That's so politically correct and considerate of you… Let me guess, you and Clint were both drunk when you came up with it." Phil's normally unreadable face faltered slightly, and Marie noticed the small, barely there blush on his cheeks. _"Huh… wonder what that's about."_ She thought surprised.

"I'll take the silence as a yes." She told him still grinning. "So what can the Corruptor do? Ya know, besides sounding like a paedophile." She remarked and Phil chuckled amused. "We aren't completely sure yet, which is why we need you, but exactly what his name says. He's the new head of the criminal underworld in New York. We don't know how, but it seems like he's managed to convince every other criminal out there to his the dirty work for him, everyone from the Kingpin to the Hand is waiting on his every whim and need, and he managed this in less than three months. He has them working their assess off for him, and we have no idea what he's offered that's so valuable to them all, to make New York's worst come together as one big happy family suddenly." He explained her. Marie looked thoughtful. "But you have him detained since you need me?" She asked him and Phil nodded. "Fury ordered his arrest once S.H.I.E.L.D. got news that he'd gotten his hands on blueprints of several embassies. We believe he's going to blackmail or somehow infiltrate them, and we want to prevent any future diplomatic crisis." "Alright." Marie replied while taking in the large amount of information and preparing herself to face this criminal mastermind.

* * *

Phil pulled up to an old warehouse building that served as a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. Marie couldn't help but be surprised how normal these buildings always seemed to look. To think women and children and old people passed this building everyday, never knowing it housed part of a secret government facility. _"Then again, sometimes ignorance_ is _bliss, and bliss is safety in this case."_  
Once inside the building, as they were getting cleared, Marie couldn't help but wonder if Phil knew anything about Steve's current status with the mission he'd been shipped off. Clint had picked him up the morning after they'd confessed their love to each other, and she couldn't help but think it unfair. She bit her lip before shaking her head to clear it. It was no use, she knew Phil would inform her if Steve was hurt, but he'd keep quiet otherwise.

They rode the elevator down in silence, and Marie couldn't help but wonder what power this man held. _"Maybe it's telepathy… it would make sense if he's been able to manipulate and control so many people in such a short time."_ She thought concerned. _"Why couldn't it be a regular guy, with no superpowers? It would make everything so much easier."_  
The elevator stopped and the doors slid open with a ping. She followed Phil down a long corridor. There was a guard on either side every two meters armed to the teeth. _"Looks like every SWAT team has been called in because of this guy."_ She thought surprised. They reached the end of the hallway. Marie took in the heavy steel door in front of her. Phil nodded at her and entered a door to the left. Marie sighed and adjusted her clothing, and still holding her coffee cup in her hand she entered the room.

The door behind slammed closed and the sound of a lock sliding closed kept her wary, though she didn't show it. There were two heavily armoured guards inside the room with her; they were standing against the wall behind the prisoner.  
The blue man sat chained heavily to a chair, his hands were cuffed to the table that separated her chair from his. His eyes were glued to her as Marie made her way to the chair. She sat down relaxed and unconcerned, leaning back slightly in the chair with her legs crossed in front of her, as though she was sitting in a café and not an interrogation room. Marie kept her coffee in her hand but placed the files on the table.

Marie studied the blue man, never taking her eyes of him. She didn't speak but remained silent even when he raised his eyebrow at her. _"Now would be a good time to test if he really is a telepath."_ She thought and without moving a single facial muscle she screamed out _**"HAS ANYBODY TOLD YOU THAT YOU LOOK LIKE A SMURF!"**_ in her mind, projecting her thoughts as loud as she could. The blue man remained unmoving, not even twitching a facial muscle at all. _"Not telepathy then."_ She thought surprised. _"Then what is it?"_ Marie remained silent but took a sip of her coffee. She noticed the way his eyes followed the movement of her throat as she drank. _"He must be thirsty."_ She realized that the room was warmer compared to the rest of the building. A small bead of sweat ran down his face.

"Are you just here to stare at me? Believe me, I can think of several more… Pleasurable ways to spend our time together." He grinned at her while staring at her chest unashamedly. His voice was deep, rough and completely American. _"Definitely a northerner…"_ She looked at the guards who were unfazed at the sound of his voice. _"So not hypnotism either…"_ Marie thought getting a bit frustrated. "Sorry, I'm already in a relationship. Not interested." Marie told him while leaning forward in the chair. She rested her hands on the table on her side. "Oh, but I can make you give in to your deepest desires, remove all the guilt and have nothing hold you back from your true nature." He said with a wicked glint in his eyes and his fingers twitched, as though they were trying to reach out and touch her. Marie grinned as she realised how he worked his powers. The blue man looked at her questioning. _"Never thought I'd meet another mutant who controls their powers through touch, huh…"_

"What's so funny?" He asked her suddenly wary. Marie shrugged. "Nothing sugar. Didn't your mama ever teach you any manners, you haven't even introduced yourself to a lady." She told him, trying to get him to loosen up. "What about you?" he countered at her.  
"The name's Anna." She told him and he grinned again. "If you come closer I'll shake your hand Anna." He told her and Marie leaned in closer to him, teasing him, though staying far away enough for him not to be able to touch her. "And your name is?" She asked him. "The name's Jackson. Jackson Day." He admitted grinning and Marie couldn't help but worry what the man had planned since he was giving up the information so freely. "Now, you wanna tell me what you planned to do with all of those blueprints you were found with?" She asked charmingly with a small smile.

Day grinned at her and then he leaned back in his chair as much as he could. "Nah, not really." Marie refrained from scowling at him. She smiled flirtatiously at him. "I've never met a blue man before." She smiled. Day licked his lips when she pushed out her breast a bit. "Wanna find out where else I'm blue?" He smirked and Marie wanted to punch his throat in. Marie walked behind him and let her finger graze his neck quickly; before he even knew what she was doing she had removed it again. She caught some stray thoughts. _**"Forty million dollars... Diplomat Raul Vincente… A liquid drug… Power… Corruption…"**_ She leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Sugar, I'd be honest if I were you. You're the one chained here. I'm the one with the _power._ " She emphasized. He shook lightly when she said it, as though the very word brought him pleasure.

" _If he corrupts a person through touch, then how the hell am I supposed to absorb him without getting corrupted too? I really don't wanna be under his control with the way he's leering at me… Creep."_ She thought annoyed. _"I need to speak with Phil."_

"Are you thirsty?" She asked him suddenly yet maintaining her flirtatious manner. "Yes." He replied shortly. Marie got up and knocked on the door. She could feel his eyes on her ass. The door opened immediately, and as soon as she'd left the room a guard closed and locked it again. Marie entered the room she knew Phil would be in.

Phil stood with his arms crossed, and frown on his normally neutral face. He stared out the window at the Jackson Day, who seemed to be staring right back at them as though he could see them.

"He's way too calm about this." Phil commented to Marie. Marie nodded. "Yeah. And a perv." she cursed. "I figured out how he does it. Whatever it is he does." She said and Phil lifted an eyebrow at her. "Touch." she said simply and Phil winced. "You're kidding me." Phil said disbelievingly. "Nope." she said. "I don't know if I can absorb him completely Phil. I could try, but chances are he'd do his thing on me before I can neutralize his powers. The last thing I want is to be under that creeps control." She said annoyed. Phil's face was hard. "We're not taking that chance, it's too risky. We can't afford to lose you to the dark side." He told her and Marie nodded. "Then how do I proceed, 'cause if I have to flirt with him anymore I might barf…" Their attention was suddenly brought back to Day as the two guards walked up to him on either side. "Phil, please tell me the guards didn't touch his skin when they brought him in!" She yelled out distressed as the guards lifted their machine guns at the one-way mirror.

Phil tackled Marie to the floor the very same second bullets started to rain at them, breaking through the glass and everything else in their way. Phil covered Marie's body instinctively, even though she was more durable out of the two of them, and more likely to survive the attack. Phil pulled out his gun. Once the attack stopped and everything silenced, Phil and Marie peeked out the smashed window. "Clear." Phil called out and the two of them rose. Marie saw that the door to the interrogation room was wide open. Phil took the lead as they entered the hallway. Every guard they had passed earlier was down on the ground in pools of blood. Some were writhing in pain while others were completely still. Marie felt the bile rise through her throat. "This way." Phil ordered her as they moved through the building. She reached out with Magneto's powers, hoping they wouldn't be necessary. The elevator was splashed with blood, and it reminded her of Clint and her attack on her old home. Marie was tense while they were waiting for the elevator to bring them up. She and Phil leaned against the sides of the bloody elevator as much as they could when it pinged and the doors opened on the ground floor again. They both checked and left the elevator when there was no imminent danger. They were both bloodied from the elevator.

"Man, this was a favourite." Marie commented at her shirt while trying to push out the images of all the dead and heavily injured guards they'd left downstairs. "S.H.I.E.L.D. will compensate for a new one." Phil said as he checked the completely empty room still aiming his gun. "I don't like this." He said. "Where the hell is everybody?" Phil questioned angrily.

Marie looked around. "No blood splatter anywhere. I don't know if that's a good sign or a bad one at this point." She noted. Phil lowered his gun and started to pull out his phone. "We'll take it as a bad one for now. It means that Day has probably corrupted them all, and we just lost an entire S.H.I.E.L.D. staff to him."

Phil rubbed his head as punched in a number on his phone. Marie knew he was calling the director, and that this had just escalated from potential threat to complete clusterfuck. When Phil hung up again, it only took ten minutes or so for Fury and what seemed like half of S.H.I.E.L.D. to arrive. Fury yelled out orders as he walked through the front doors. "Clear the area! I want a security perimeter! You see any blue guy, you shoot first ask questions later!" He stomped his way to Marie and Phil, and Phil was quick to fill him on the situation and Jackson Day. "You're telling me, he got half of my men? On his side? Helping him!" Fury yelled out in anger. Both Phil and Marie winced. "The other half is dead downstairs." Phil said soberly. Fury cursed before turning his attention to Marie.

"Did you get anything off him?" He questioned her. "I was discussing how to proceed with Phil in the observation room when they opened fire at us. But I did get something when I touched him. He was thinking about a diplomat named Raul Vincente, forty million dollars and some kind of liquid drug. I didn't get any solid connection between the three, but they could be connected." She explained. Fury nodded approvingly. "Good," He said before turning to Phil. "Now quarantine her."

"What!" "Why?" Phil and Marie both exclaimed. Fury glared at them. "Because you touched him, and the last thing I need, with half of my men already missing, is you going dark." Phil sighed but nodded and Marie glared at back at Fury. "Fine, whatever." Phil led her away so SUV. "Where are we going?" She asked Phil. "The helicarrier." He said. "Great." Marie sighed. She hoped Steve was still out on his mission. It would be hard to explain to him why she'd be missing at home later tonight.

 _ **The Argentinian Embassy… Raul drinking his favorite scotch… Wilson Fisk sitting in a chair across him presenting him with a large case filled with money….Day grinned.**_

Marie cleared her head as she entered the car with Phil. _"There shouldn't be any flashes… I didn't touch him long enough for me to absorb so much of him… Why is this happening?"_ She wondered worried. "We _could_ go to the helicarrier." Marie told Phil who looked at her curiously. "Or?" He questioned her suddenly wary. "Or," Marie began as Phil drove away from the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. "We could visit Raul at the Argentinian embassy and question him about his dirty deal with Wilson Fisk." She said. "I thought you didn't get anything solid from Day." Phil asked her a frown marring his face. "No I didn't," she agreed. "But let's just call it a leftover hunch from Day." Phil stared at her for a minute before he sighed. Phil made a harsh U-turn making Marie slam into his side surprised. "This is going to leave a paperwork hell for me. This is like Budapest all over again." He muttered to himself while Marie beamed at him. "That's the spirit sugar!"


	8. Chapter 12

...

* * *

They were parked a couple of streets down from the embassy when Marie's phone vibrated with an incoming call.

"Hold on a sec." She told Phil as she answered it.

 **"What are you doing today?"** Natasha voice cut through without any introduction.

"Hey Natasha, I'm fine. How are you today?" Marie replied back sarcastically but she was honestly happy to hear from the other woman. It had been too long since she'd seen the woman.

Natasha sighed and Marie smiled happily. She looked at Phil who was getting impatient.

"I'm actually kinda busy today. How about we get together tomorrow?" She said as Phil checked his watch.

A knock on the window next to Marie surprised them both and Phil pulled out his gun. He clicked off the safety, and aimed it against the toned window of the car. Marie rolled said window down, revealing that several suited men had surrounded the car and were standing there with their guns raised at them, and neither she nor Phil had noticed.

 _"So much for being vigilant..."_ She thought surprised. "I'm gonna have to call you back sugar." She told Natasha and abruptly ended the call.

The phone vibrated immediately again from an incoming call. Marie couldn't answer, but knew it was Natasha.

"Get out of the car." The burly man in front of Marie's window ordered them, gesturing with his gun.

Phil lowered his gun, knowing he wouldn't stand a chance against the seven men he'd counted. "Guess Day must have gotten here before us." Phil grunted out as he and Marie were manhandled and thrown against the car. The suit wearing men disarmed Phil and confiscated their cell phones. They were shoved in the direction of the embassy. "I guess he did." Marie replied.

"Mr Vincente would like to meet with the two of you." The burly man informed them as they were marched towards the enormous mansion that doubled as an embassy. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it isn't because he want's to get to know us better." Phil deadpanned while sending Marie a look that clearly said he'd do the talking.

They were escorted inside the embassy and further into an office. The office was decorated expensively. There was art hanging on the wall, one of the pieces Marie was sure was a Picasso. Everything that could be made from gold was. Even the drapes hanging from the windows were of golden colour. _"Clearly a man who's used to luxurious comforts…"_ She thought as she took in the room.

She and Phil were forced into two surprisingly comfortable chairs. A skinny man in an expensive suit walked into the room and sat down behind the large desk. His slicked back, black hair was extremely greasy, so much it reflected the light from lamps in the room. He sported a matching and greasy looking moustache on his upper lip that made Marie want to snort. _"He looks like a bad villain out of some Spanish soap opera."_ She thought.

"Welcome to my home." his light and beady voice sounded like he'd taken helium and Marie was forced to bite her cheek not laugh out loud at the man. A small glance to her left showed that Phil was as composed as ever. _"He really needs to teach me how he does that!"_

"Now would you like to explain to me as to why you were spying on me?" Vincente asked them.

Phil didn't miss a beat as he started to lie professionally. "My wife and I are on the lookout for some real estate in the neighbourhood when your men suddenly manhandled us." He exclaimed with a small amount of fake anger, getting into the angry husband role. "The neighbourhood clearly lacks a warning about bad mannered people residing here."

Vincente grinned at the two and then leered at Marie's body. _"What is with these pervs today!"_ She thought annoyed and adjusted her shirt a bit to cover her better. "You're wife is very young Mister…" Vincente left the question hanging in the air. "Thomson. Brian Thomson. Yes she is, she keeps me on my feet." Marie was impressed with Phil's lying abilities.

Vincente nodded to two of his men. One man grabbed Phil and held him tightly resulting in Phil fighting get loose from the man's grip, yet failing. The other man held Marie tight, and unlike Phil, she kept as calm as she could. She didn't want to level the building on herself and Phil, while they were still inside. Though she was calm on the outside, fear was slowly taking hold of her.

The diplomat snapped his fingers at a third and mean looking bodyguard who came up next to Marie. Vincente made sure Phil at a clear view at what was going to happen now.

The bodyguard started groping Marie's breasts, and moving his hands further and further down her body.

Marie was frozen in shock, mouth hanging slightly open unable to believe what was happening. The one thing her power was supposed to protect from her, and it could do nothing until the man made contact with her skin. Out of nowhere the bodyguard went from touching her to punching her, leaving a mean black eye on her.

"That's interesting Mr Thomson. You know why?" Vincente asked as his beady eyes narrowed at Phil who was struggling even harder against the bodyguard. "Because I have a file here," he said pulling a manila file from his desk. The bodyguard continued his ministrations to Marie. Touching her in ways that left her sick, and having to swallow the vomit that made it's way up, before punching her in the face "that identifies you as Phil Coulson, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Phil gave Marie a look that clearly said get ready to kick ass. Vincente snapped his fingers. "Kill them." There were several clicks as Vincente's men aimed their guns at them… again.  
Marie sighed relived that the bodyguard had stopped violating her, and she used Magneto's powers to jam the guns without anyone noticing. She felt out the room and found Vincente having a gun attached to his desk. She jammed that one too.

She jumped into action Phil following her quickly. They took out the bodyguards in their surprise when the guns failed to shoot.

Phil and Marie were perfectly synchronized in their movements, dancing around each other and helping each other when needed. In less than five minutes the bodyguards were all out cold on the floor.

Marie didn't hold back the fury that had taken over her, and didn't stop punching the man that had violated her. Not even when he was begging her to did she stop. Not even when he stopped breathing did she stop. She didn't stop until she was sure that there was no life left in the bastard, not until Vincente aimed his jammed gun at them and Phil called out her name.

"Don't move or I shoot." He threatened them.

Phil stood still but Marie moved furiously towards him and removed the gun from his hand with little difficulty as Vincente let out a sound that could have been mistaken for pig squealing. Marie threw the gun on the floor while Phil pushed Vincente into his chair again.  
"Tell us about the deal with Wilson Fisk and Jackson Day," Phil ordered him. "Or I'll let her," he said gesturing to Marie. "Have her way with you." He said.

Marie lifted an eyebrow at Vincente who winced as he looked at his bodyguards on the floor still unmoving and one of them dead. "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you!" Vincente exclaimed frightened. "Talk." Phil ordered him and Marie was ready to drain the man dry if he didn't. _"Might do it anyway…"_ She froze. _"Where did that come from?"_ She thought worried.

She took a step back as Phil interrogated Vincente. "Day has this drug, and he says it can control people. He came up with this plan to get Wilson Fisk elected as mayor of New York at the elections, but they needed some money." Vincente admitted still looking fearfully at them.

"And you just happened to have some money lying around. What was in it for you?" Phil questioned him looking as patient as ever.  
Marie felt like her head was spinning mildly, the taste of vomit still strong in her mouth, but she didn't let it show.

Vincente quieted.

Phil sighed and was about to press him harder when Marie just walked over and drained him dry. Marie's head suddenly felt clearer. "D'Ancanto, what the hell?" Phil asked her angrily. "He was talking." Marie rolled her eyes. "And how would you know it was the truth? People like Vincente aren't known for their honest ways. This way we'll have the truth and his other dirty secrets Phil." Marie didn't know why she had done it, but it had felt so liberating not having to give a shit.

"That doesn't mean anything, this is my job, and this is what I do for a living! I would have gotten the truth out of him eventually!" Phil didn't yell at her, but the angry tone in his voice made it clear to Marie that he was almost there. "Yeah? And this is my job; to make sure we get the right info and not waste time. Besides it's gonna' happen tonight so we need to move as quickly as possible." She finished and Phil froze. "What is?" He asked her worried.

"Fisk has sent one of his men to poison the New York water supply with the drug, then all Day has to do," Marie explained as she walked up to a big painting removing it, and revealing a safe hidden behind it. "Is stand by Fisk's side tonight on live television and say that he supports Fisk for Mayor, and anybody drinking water will feel compelled to vote for Fisk as well." Marie opened the safe easily with the stolen code from Vincente.

The safe contained money, guns and several pounds of cocaine. Marie ignored it all and pulled out a small vial hidden behind it all. She gave it to Phil. "Vincente had his drug labs in Argentina come up with it, he was planning to use it to become president at the next election. It's made from Day's sweat and it was Fisk's idea to try it out." She informed him. Phil frowned at the vial in his hand. "Let's move." He said and the two left the embassy behind with its inhabitants out cold.

* * *

"We should get the vial to S.H.I.E.L.D. and have them come up with antidote in case we don't make it on time." Marie stated as Phil violently drove the car towards the city. Marie held on and prayed she didn't die on the way. Phil agreed with her plan but kept throwing her worried glances.

"You'll go after Fisks' goon at the water supply. I'll go to S.H.I.E.L.D. and then stop Day." He summarized his plan. "Marie... What happened in there..." Phil began concerned but Marie cut him off quickly. "I'm fine. Right now stopping Fisk and Day is our number one priority, we'll deal with everything else once the dust settles." She said and her tone left no room for argument. If there was one thing Marie was horrible at it was dealing with her emotions. "The last thing we need right now is me blubbering Phil."

Phil sighed as he rounded another corner sharply. "It's all right to want to cry, or be angry Marie. I failed you." Phil admitted angry with himself. "Don't even go there Phil. I know you're angry with yourself, but don't be. I killed the guy Phil. It's over, nothing more to be done. I'm just glad there's no one else he can do that to anymore, that's enough for me." Phil nodded understandingly, but the anger hadn't faded.

As they sped across the city in an uncomfortable silence, Marie yelled for Phil to stop the car.

Marie was sure that the screeching tires could be heard all over the city. Phil gave her his extra gun, right before she jumped out of the car, telling Phil to get going. Phil did, not questioning her once.

Marie stared at the red Ducati 748 motorcycle a couple feet ahead. _"Perfect!"_ She thought and flashed back to her last day at Ole Miss U. Now she only had to get the man in the trench coat off the bike. She ran over to him and pushed him off it. She yelled out a "Police business! Sorry!" and sped off leaving the man on the ground yelling out French curses at her.

She pushed the bike to its limit, never pausing or stopping at red lights. Within fifteen minutes she was at the New York City water supply wondering where the hell she was supposed to go.

She called up Phil. **"Coulson."** she heard him say. "It's Marie. I'm at the water supply, but I need some help with direction." She said staring at the giant building.

 **"I'll put you through to Hill, she'll have eyes on the place."** And with that he was gone again. **"Hill speaking."** Marie looked around the abandoned parking lot.

"D'Ancanto here. Can you pull up any heat signatures at the water supply? I've got three different entrances, and no idea where Fisk's man is heading." She said. Hill shouted out some orders before getting back to her. **"We got five heat signatures inside the building. Go through entrance three. A hundred and fifty feet ahead of you there'll be two men."** Marie placed her phone in her pocket and did as told and entered the building, her gun in front of her ready to shoot.

She walked soundlessly towards them, and the closer she got the clearer it was to her that the two enormous and bald headed men weren't workers. The AK-47's they held in their hands only confirmed it. She stopped and hid behind a crate a few feet away, not wanting to give away her position. From there she pulled the guns from their hands, and right as they yelled out in surprise, she knocked them unconscious with the machine guns.

Marie pulled out the phone again. "How far am I going?" She asked.

 **"Continue to the end of the hallway, and turn left and go another two hundred feet. There'll be another two waiting there. Once you've dealt with them turn right and there should be a door that leads directly to the water outlet."** Hill informed her.

"Copy that." Marie confirmed and hung up.

She ran down the hallways as fast as she could. Once she reached the two remaining men she knocked them out with their guns as well, same as with the first ones. _"Too easy..."_ She thought a bit cockily.

Not before long Marie found herself standing in front of the industrial door. The loud noise of the machines pumping and cleansing water drowned out everything else, and for a second Marie felt like she would go deaf from all the noise until she adjusted to it.

She looked around, taking in room, trying to locate the last goon who had the drug, but couldn't find him anywhere.

Marie felt the disturbance in the air, but before she could act on it or even understand what it was Marie screamed out in pain.

She fell to the floor gasping and clutching her stomach, her shirt growing darker by the blood spreading from the wound. Her vision blurred from the pain. She removed her clutching hands from the wound and wince. The bullet hole was gaping back at her, and the pain and sight of her blood paired with the memory of being violated by the bodyguard caused her to empty her stomach contents right then and there.

In a fearful second she couldn't help but think that Steve's healing wouldn't be enough to save her from this, and her heart _ached_ at the thought that she wouldn't be seeing Steve again.

Marie barely noticed the pair of feet walking towards her. They came to a stop next to her, and the person who'd shot her crouched down.

"Well, what do we have here?" His rough voice was demeaning and amused. Marie glared at him. He grabbed her face between his hands painfully. "A little lady cop maybe? Or is it fed? Doesn't matter, you'll be dead in a moment anyways." He said cheerfully as he smashed her head in to the ground and got up. Marie could barely groan from the pain now, everything was starting to darken on the edges of her vision.

The man walked over to the water and pulled a necklace off. It was the glass vile filled with the drug. Her vision darkened further and Marie knew she had to act fast now. "Hey asshole!" She gasped out as she used Magneto's powers and ripped the necklace from his hand. The vial smashed onto the ground, and the liquid seeped out into the cracks of the ground.

The man cursed angrily. He ran at her and started kicking her in the stomach furiously. Marie screamed as the pain tore through her. Right before she lost consciousness from the mix of blood loss and pain, her assailant was flung away from her. The last thing she registered in her pain-induced haze was a pair of feet and a ridiculously long trench coat.

"Merde!" Marie heard the trench coat exclaim, and she couldn't help but mumble out _"_ I wonder if Steve speaks French. _._. We should visit Paris... _Steve, where are you?"_ Before the world disappeared from her grip.

* * *

Phil Coulson was known throughout S.H.I.E.L.D. as the most composed man to ever walk the earth. His colleagues all agreed that he at times even seemed a bit alien with how calm he was able to stay during world ending crises. There weren't a lot of things in this world that could shake him or ruin his composure.  
He'd seen and stood up to things that were out of this world, and yet standing in front of the pool of blood inside the water plant, he couldn't help but let the worry and anger show on his face. _"How the hell am I supposed to explain this to the Captain? I got his girlfriend killed… No! She's not dead until we have a body..."_ He tried to reassure himself, though it didn't help much.

"Sir?" a soft British voice came from behind him. He turned to the female trying to remember her name. _"Simon.. or Simm…"_ "Yes Simmons?" _"Nice save Phil."_ He thought to himself a bit relieved, but the relief quickly disappeared when the woman confirmed his fears.

"The test came back positive, the blood is from Dr. D'Ancanto, former employee of S.H.I.E.L.D." She said as she handed him the tablet that contained the test results. She looked as concerned as he felt. "I hope we find her in time. No normal person would survive such a blood loss without receiving medical attention." She noted. _"I'm counting on her not being a normal person."_ "Me too, Simmons. Me too." Phil left the crime scene, and walked over to the tech he had on site.

"Any luck on tracking her phone?" He asked the blonde haired man. "Sir." the Scotsman answered. "We found the phone smashed on the ground, probably a result from being shot and falling on top of it." Phil nodded at him and left the building in need of some fresh air. Once outside he leaned against the building, taking in the sight of the many S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles.

Phil pulled out his phone, dreading the phone call he was about to make.  
"Sir." He said as the call was answered. **"Don't say it Phil."** The Director's distressed voice said across the line. Phil sighed. "The Rogue is MIA. From the looks of it, she was mortally wounded. We can't track her phone either, it's dead." Phil said and winced when the Director started cursing. **"I'll deal with Cap, you focus on locating her. Call me when you have a update."** With that he ended the call.  
Phil let out a curse of his own, and then readjusted his tie. "You." He said to a passing agent. "Yes sir?" "Run down hospital records for any women having been hospitalized tonight, ages twenty to twenty-five auburn hair, with white-stripes and green eyes. Emergency section." The agent nodded and ran towards one of the vans parked by the building. _"Please be alright…"_ he thought one last time. When he made his way to the vans, the outline of a familiar figure stopped him right where he was.

* * *

Natasha knew something wasn't right when Marie hung up on her and she heard the familiar click in the background. Her belief was further confirmed when Marie didn't pick up on the second call. Natasha knew that Marie could take care of herself, and if there was one thing she hated it was being worried. Worry of others blinded you to the situation at hand, and that led to mistakes, and mistakes could get you killed. But that was the KGB way of thinking, and if there was one thing that S.H.I.E.L.D. had taught her, it was that worry meant all corners being covered, and no one being left behind. So after a couple of hours, giving Marie a chance to contact her, herself, Natasha tried calling her again, and again, and again. When Marie didn't pick up by the fourth try, Natasha tracked down her phone to the water plant. Marie, Natasha knew, would have no business there and so she decided to drive up there.

Natasha didn't know what to expect, once she reached the water plant, but it wasn't the small army of S.H.I.E.L.D. vans and personnel roaming the area. She left the car, searching for whichever agent was in charge of the scene, when she spotted Coulson. To anyone else he looked as composed as he always did, but Natasha could see the subtle signs of wear. His tie was uneven, suit rumpled and eyes tired. He froze when he noticed her there. "Natasha. What are you doing here?" Phil asked her as he made his way towards one of the vans. "I could ask you the same Phil, I was looking for Marie. What's going on?" Phil sighed and wanted to reply "Classified" but knew that Natasha would only raise her threatening eyebrow at him if he didn't answer her truthfully.

"The Director persuaded Marie to come in and... _Consult_ on a case regarding an enhanced. She's been pronounced MIA." Natasha let out small breath when a different word than _dead_ came out of his mouth. Phil noticed it. "Don't feel relived yet, she was wounded and lost a lot of blood. Too much blood." He stated with worry laced in his word. The implication of it left Natasha not-unusually silent. She left Phil by the van, entering the building, following the other S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel. When she finally crouched down next to the massive pool of blood, she could understand Phil's scepticism and worry.

She took in the surroundings, going through different scenarios, trying to understand how Marie had been one-upped by a thug with a gun. A gun she should have been able to notice the moment she stepped inside the room. There were too many questions and not enough answers. She turned to the forensics team. "Any leads yet?" They all seemed to shrink away from her way in fear, and on any other day it would have amused her, but not today.

One woman spoke up, British, and when she did, the rest of them let out a small and relieved breath at not having to be the one the other end of her glare. "Nothing concrete yet ma'am, but we did manage to find a third set of footprints in the room, size nine - definitely male by the width of the foot, and some light brown fabric stuck to a crater, indicating the third person was hiding while Dr. D'Ancanto was attacked." Natasha nodded at the woman to continue when she hesitated. "I also found remains of a burned out card." "A business card?" Natasha asked. Simmons shook her head "No, a playing card. King of hearts." She said as she handed the small evidence bag, containing a half burnt out card, to Natasha.

Eyebrows furrowed she handed the bag back to the woman. _"Why would_ _he_ _work for Fisk and kidnap Marie? Not his usual m.o. something isn't adding up."_ She thought annoyed as she left the building. She made her way back to Phil. "I think I know where we can find Marie. Give me a couple of hours and I'll have her back in one piece." _"Hopefully…"_ She told him before she walked over to her car. Behind her she heard Phil mutter, " _How does she keep doing that? She only looked at the scene for fifteen minutes."_ She couldn't help but smirk a bit. She loved it when she confused both Phil and Clint, but her screeching tires as she left behind the water plant betrayed her worry for Marie.

* * *

Remy LeBeau was many things; a lady's man (some would say a pervert - but hey don't judge a man based on his kinks), a poker shark, a thief (the best in the world, of course) and a mutant, but if there was one thing he wasn't, it was heartless. That's why he sat in a chair, his trench coat thrown over it, next to his bed. Now, normally when there was a beautiful half-naked woman in his bed, he'd be in there right next to (or on top of) her. Remy just didn't think this girl would appreciate the gesture of waking up next to a strange man, after having been shot and had her head smashed repeatedly into the ground.

 _"But then again, not that much of a stranger, when she stole my bike right under my nose."_ Remy huffed out a bit annoyed. _"Henry won't ever let me live this one down."_ He removed the warm blanket from her body and checked on her bandages, trying his best to ignore her body. _"I'm only a man Cher, can't blame me for sneaking a peek. And what a body…"_ He shook his head with a grin to clear his mind from those thoughts, and put the blanket over her again.

He left the room to find some new bandages, and picked up a first aid kit, a bowl of hot water and a towel on the way. When he came back he removed the blanket completely and started cleaning her with the towel and warm water. _"She be lucky I found her when I did, or she would've died."_ He thought.

" _ **Remy cursed out loud "**_ **Merde** _ **!" as he threw another exploding card at the assailant.**_ " **I** **wonder if Steve speaks French..."** _ **Remy heard the woman from the floor talking deliriously, before she started mumbling incoherent words. The assailant chose that moment to flee the plant as fast as he could. Remy crouched down and slapped the woman on her cheeks, trying to keep her from blacking out on the ground, but it was no success. "**_ **Stay with me Cher! Don't die on me!"** _ **He knew he had to stop the bleeding before she died.**_ **"You're lucky this ol' Cajun found you."** _ **He said more to himself than to her.**_

 _ **He grabbed the skin that had been pierced by the bullet and pushed it together, then he let the kinetic energy build up in his fingers, until the heat was enough to burn the skin together with the bullet inside her. A trick he'd learned from an old friend in Egypt. The pain caused the woman to scream out loud, and as she did, everything around started shaking and flying.  
**_ **"Of course she has to be a mutant too Remy, merde! How do I keep getting into these situations!"** _ **He exclaimed to himself and jumped to the side, as a cell phone came flying straight at him and smashed into the wall behind him. Once everything quieted down, he lifted her and awkwardly drove her to his apartment on the bike she'd stolen from him.**_

Remy broke away from the memory when the woman groaned slightly. "Sorry t' break it t' you Cher, but the pain is only gonna get worse until Remy can get the bullet out of you." He said as he finished cleaning her.

He removed the old bandages from her stomach. He cleaned her stomach, Stared at her face, happy that she'd gained some colour the last six hours, and rubbed iodine around and on the burn wound. He grabbed the scalpel and large tweezers, and then forced the towel into her mouth. He started cutting open the skin, and like before, the pain caused the woman's powers to react.

Remy ignored the flying things in favour of getting the bullet out of her. Once he removed the bullet from her body, he burned the skin closed again leaving a small round scar on her otherwise flawless body. He redressed the wound on her stomach and her head, and removed the towel from her mouth. He got her to drink some water and antibiotics, before he cleaned up the room and passed out in the chair.

When Remy woke up it was to the feeling of hunger and his phone vibrating in his pocket. He looked at unfamiliar number on his screen in annoyance before answering.

" 'Ello?"

" **You have two seconds to tell me what you've done with the girl, before I rip off your balls Gambit."** The familiar voice of an angry Russian woman, he had had several run ins with, left him grinning.

"You actually sound concerned Natasha. Careful, you might become human." He teased. **"Where is she?"** She replied, as usually, without a trace of humour in her voice.

Remy sighed as he entered the kitchen and grabbed some cereal to eat. "Chill, she's fine, well not fine but alive, thanks to Remy. Remy fixed her up after he found her bleeding out and dying on the floor of the water plant, after having stolen Remy's bike. She be sleeping off the pain in Remy's bed right now. And don't worry Remy was complete gentleman and slept in a chair." There was a snort on the other end. "Believe it if you want Cher, but it's the truth."

" **Send me your address."** She ordered him, causing Remy to roll his eyes.

"Now we both know that's unnecessary when you've already had this call traced."

" **You're right. That was just me being considerate. I'll be there in an hour."** She said and hung up.

"Great, now Remy has to find a new hideout." He said to himself as he finished his cereal and went to check up on his houseguest.

She was mumbling about some Steve guy, but luckily breathing. _"Probably her beau…"_ Remy pondered. He returned to his morning cartoons grabbing another bowl of cereal. He had completely tuned out everything, so when Natasha was suddenly standing there he let out a surprised yell and threw his bowl in the air making it explode. Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. "Dammit woman! You can't just go breaking into people's hideouts!" The other eyebrow joined the first in disbelief. Remy, realising what he said was quick to defend himself "What? Remy does it when there aren't any people at home." Natasha ignored him in favour of making her way to the bedroom.

When she reached the room the first thing she did was check for any threats, she didn't trust Gambit as far as she could throw him, and then she checked on Marie. Natasha noticed the state of undress Marie was in. "Perv." She told Remy with a glare. "What?! Remy, cleans her, pulls out a bullet from her stomach, saves her life, and dis the thanks he gets?" Remy grinned back at her. "Remy likes to think a bit of nakedness is a good payback for stealing his bike from him." Natasha rolled her eyes at him and pulled some clothes from a bag Remy had barely noticed she was carrying. She dressed Marie in an oversize sweatshirt and jogging pants.

"Marie? Can you hear me?" Natasha said trying to wake her up. " _Natasha_..." she mumbled out and opened her eyes slightly. Natasha stroked her forehead. "Marie, it's me Nat." "Nat? M'head is killing me… Where are we?" she asked her groaning, but gaining more awareness of their surroundings. "You took quite a couple o' hits to your head Cher." Remy joined in.

Marie squinted her eyes at him, raising her head, before turning to Natasha. "Who's the swamp rat?"

"Oi! This the swamp rat that saved your river-rat butt. And then saw you naked." He wiggled his eyebrows at her jokingly. "Ew, perv." Marie exclaimed not catching on to the joking tone. Remy lifted his hands in despair while Natasha smirked at him. "Joking cher. Just joking." _"Except not really."_ "Oh… Sorry." Marie replied more awake now. "What happened?" she asked Natasha. "You don't remember?" Marie shook her head carefully. "Not really. I mean I remember the call to come in to work this morning, and then... I was picked up? And there was a blue… drug? I'm not sure... After that it's all kind of blurry."

"Marie, that all happened yesterday." Natasha told her. "I'm taking you to S.H.I.E.L.D. so we can have you checked out. I want to make sure you're alright until Steve's back to take care of you." Marie nodded. "Alright…" she agreed. "Who's Steve again?" She asked feeling suddenly ashamed at not knowing the person who was supposed to take care of her. Natasha gaped at her and then let out an "Oh-oh."

* * *

Marie was resting against the hospital bed, picking at her nails, while waiting for the doctor to finish analysing her tests. Natasha was sitting next to her in a chair, and she hadn't spoken a word to Marie since a middle aged and kind looking man came to check up on her, and Marie hadn't recognised him as Phil Coulson. That was yesterday. The door to the hospital room suddenly burst open revealing two blonde good looking, well-trained men wearing odd uniforms. They both came at her throwing question after question at her, not giving her time to answer, too close in her personal space.

Luckily Natasha came to her rescue. "HEY! Back off, the both of you! You're scaring her." Both men froze and saw the slight fear in Marie's eyes and took a step back. "Sorry." "Yeah sorry." They both apologised. "Marie," The taller _"and cuter"_ of the two men held her hand "Do you remember me?" Marie stared into those beautiful blue eyes, and wished that she could. "Should I?" She asks carefully and sees they way his heart breaks in his eyes. She doesn't take her hand from his because it feels warm, safe and familiar. She feels relieved when he doesn't remove his either. He was about to tell her something when Dr. Attwood entered the room.

"Alright Dr. D'Ancanto." Dr. Attwood took in the small but crowded room and sighed "And everybody else apparently. Seems that there's a small amount of damage to the tissue in this part of your brain." He said as he pointed to a scan of brain. Dr. Attwood saw the worried looks of all the occupants. "Now don't worry, it's already started healing so there should be no long term damage." Marie let out small breath of relief and only then realised that she had been clenching the cute blonde man's hand tightly. The man in question smiled at her gently. "Now I'm going to ask you a couple of questions to test your memories. If you don't remember the answer, don't stress yourself out. Alright?" Marie nodded.

Dr. Attwood held a finger in front of her face. "Focus on my finger, and ignore everything else." Marie did as ordered.

"What's 57 time 132,14?" "7531.98" and Dr. Attwood nodded and noted something down in notebook.

"What's the name of the school you're employed at?" Marie furrowed her brows. "Uhm…. the … something institute for learning… OH! I got it! The Xavier institute of higher learning. I'm a maths teacher there." The doctor nodded and kept noting down as they proceeded through several questions. Question after question was thrown at her, and it felt like she'd spent an eternity in the room.

"What did you feel the first time you met Natasha?" He asked her and Natasha grinned evilly at her. "Fear. Definitely a strong feeling of fear." Marie grinned back at Natasha.

"When is Steve Rogers' birthday?" "July fourth 1918." Marie surprised herself as the answer seemingly flew out of her mouth.

"Who was the first enhanced you encountered?" "Sabre... _tooth_?" She answered uncertain.

Dr. Attwood looked at his notes then at Marie. "I believe there is no reason for alarm. The memories are all there; you just need some time to remember. I do not recommend trying to force yourself to remember, but to let nature run its course." He told her, and glanced at the hands that were intertwined, and Marie nodded.

"Mr Rogers." He turned to Steve now. "You can take your girlfriend home now, make sure she drinks lots of liquids, and for once stays out of trouble. If she gets sick, take her straight back here to me." With that Dr. Attwood left the small room and overcrowded room.

Marie looked up at this Steve fella, who she apparently was in a relationship with. Steve saw her glance and smiled at her. "What is it?" Marie blushed slightly, "I just have wrap my head around the fact I'm in a relationship with you. I must have really hit the jackpot or something." She blushed redder when Steve laughed. "Believe me when I say I'm the lucky one, even when you make me worry like crazy and turn my hair prematurely grey." They both smiled lovingly at each other, while Clint looked like he was about to barf.

"I think we should all go home and get some much needed rest." Clint said. "If anybody needs me I'll be knocking back some beers, and watching the game. Tasha wanna join me?" Natasha nodded and the two left behind Steve and Marie. A sudden awkward silence enveloped them, until Steve broke it. "So uh? Wanna head home?" Marie nodded, and though the atmosphere was awkward as hell, neither let go of each other's hand. "Lead the way."

* * *

...


	9. Chapter 14

Sorry for the extremely long wait! But here is (finally) a small update to the story.

* * *

Marie was quiet as they drove home. _"Home… Weird… Why can't I remember him?"_ She thought as she glanced at Steve continuously. _"Stupid brain… I mean look at him, he's a hottie and my boyfriend apparently, but why can't I pull up his face in my big fat head? It's not like I don't have a billion other memories in here..."_ Marie sighed. "You okay?" Steve asked her as he drove them home in her car. "Yeah sugar, just frustrated and annoyed that my head is coming up empty." She rubbed her head and winced. Yeah the healing was going a bit slow at the moment. "Well," Steve said trying to comfort her, even though the situation made him uncomfortable "Remember what the doctor said, don't try to force it. Everything will come to you in its own time." "Yeah, you're right." She agreed, but on the inside she felt less than confident.

It wasn't long until Marie sat in the living room curled up under a blanket, with a hot cup of tea in her hands. She watched with a small smile on her face, as Steve hustled and bustled around the apartment, accommodating her in any way he could. He hummed along the music playing softly in the background as he brought his own cup of tea and a plate of cookies, and joined her on the couch.

Marie draped the blanket over him too, bringing them closer together. For a moment they just sat in silence, enjoying the quiet. "Steve?" Steve was broken out of whatever thoughts he had pondered on. "Yes?" "How are you so calm about this?" she asked him. Steve sighed and placed his cup on the table. "I'm not calm. I'm actually mad, furious even." He took a calming breath before continuing. "I'm mad that you were hurt, mad at Fury for bringing you in, even though you wanted out, mad that neither you nor Phil called to tell me you were going to work together," He frowned as he spoke, and couldn't spare even a glance at her. "But mostly I'm mad knowing I can't be angry at you, because you can't remember me, and that wouldn't be fair to you." Marie placed her cup on the table too, and grabbed a hold of Steve's shoulder. "I'm sorry. It may not mean a lot to you right now, but I am. If could change what happened, I would."

Steve sighed angrily. "I just want to know why the hell you'd go back to S.H.I.E.L.D. when you constantly tell everyone that you want out." The anger bubbled underneath his skin, making him tense under her hand. Marie leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek without thinking about it and clenched his shoulder in comfort. Steve sighed and relaxed, all of his anger evaporating slowly. He stared at her for a second and Marie smiled at him softly. "You really don't remember me?" he questioned her even though he already knew the answer. Marie looked thoughtful as she took him in.

"I think…" she began before stopping herself. "Your eyes…" she said as Steve stared at her with his sky blue eyes. "You have beautiful eyes Steve," Steve smiled at her. "It feels like whenever you look at me, you see everything. Every deep dark corner, every pain, every shameful thing I've done, everything... And surprisingly I'm all right with that, because you don't judge me when you look at me. You make me feel loved and accepted, without having to say a thing to me."

She placed his hand on top of hers. "Your touch feels familiar. You feel warm and… _**safe**_. I don't know how or why, but you do." She admitted to him. Steve took his hand from hers and caressed her face. "When I think back on everybody else I've ever met, only you make me feel like this, and I can't even remember you Steve." Marie leaned into his hand before continuing. "All of this, all of these feelings and impressions, make me confident that I'll remember you, because how could I ever forget the man that I love." Steve kissed her as his heart swelled with emotion at her confession. "We'll be alright doll." He promised her pulled away from her. "No matter what happens, we'll be alright." Marie kissed him again believing every word.

* * *

...

When Marie awoke the next morning it was to a less painful head, and a lighter heart. She watched with a flutter in her stomach as Steve snored lightly, still in a deep sleep. She got up and started cleaning the apartment a bit. Steve had already called the institute the night before to inform them she was taking a sick day or two. Her nerves quickly got the better of her, and she didn't know what to do anymore. When she woke up this morning she remembered small parts of her relationship with Steve, and they made smile. She thought back on the question Steve had asked her the night before.

Why did she still want to work for Fury, when she told everyone else that she didn't? She felt shame just thinking about it. "Some things aren't meant to be shared." She muttered to herself as she was putting away some dirty laundry.  
She sighed and thought about her options; tell Steve the truth that she was going insane and knowing Steve he would be concerned and tell her she was wrong, or she could keep quiet and count on Fury to figure something out. She thought back to the incident a few weeks ago.

 _ **Marie stared at her reflection in the mirror feeling relived that Steve wasn't home. The feeling was quickly replaced by one of horror. Some strange male creature replaced her normal reflection. His skin was blue with lines marking the body, his eyes cold and heartless. He spoke to her in a language she didn't understand, and Marie was too paralyzed to run away.  
"You are the chosen one, the only one worthy of this honour. It is by your hand that En-Sabbah-Nur shall rise once more and rule these lands."**_ _ **His voice was ominous and instilled fear in her.  
When she finally blinked he was gone and her own reflection was what stared back at her in the mirror. Marie started shaking before falling to the floor. "This isn't happening. It isn't real! Come on Marie! It's just a figment of your imagination." She tried calming herself down. It didn't work. She decided to get out of the bathroom before she nearly started hyperventilating.  
She grabbed her phone from the living room table and called Steve before immediately hanging up. She paced the room knowing there was nothing he could do besides think that she was crazy. "Maybe, I am." She muttered to herself. She tried calling Phil, but the man was somewhere overseas and didn't answer her call. "Fuck!" She sat on the couch.**_ _ **The phone in her hand started screeching lightly from the pressure she unknowingly applied. She sighed and let go a little before dialling the director's number she called up from memory.**_

" _ **Fury." The man answered his phone. Marie sighed. "I need a favour." She replied a little disheartened. "What is it?" Fury asked his interest peeked but not letting it show. Marie rubbed her head. "Do you have any prison that can hold super powered people who are insane?" There was moment of silence on the other end. "I might." Fury answered. "I need you to make cell specifically for me … Just in case." She said and she heard the heavy sigh on the other end. "Should I be concerned? Because you know what happens when something deserves my concern." He asked her cautiously. "No, not yet. But I need to know that you have it ready in case I need it." "Fine… Swing by my office in a couple of days and we'll talk details." He said before ending the call.  
**_

Marie heard the soft squeak from the floorboards indicating that Steve had finally decided to join the land of the living. She sighed before she finally decided that worrying Steve would at this point do more harm than good. Marie walked into the kitchen seeing him shaking his head at the captain crunch box before filling up a bowl. "Good morning sugar." Marie smiled to him and Steve instantly smiled at her. "Good morning." Marie decided to join in on the sugary breakfast choice and sat down next to Steve.

"I'm getting some memory flashes already, so I'm guessing my memories will be completely back in a day or two." She said waiting for his reply. Steve looked surprised and happy. "That's amazing!" "Yeah well I do have your healing now." She stated a bit distracted and Steve noticed it right away. "What's wrong?" he asked her, and Marie thought back about telling him about the deal she made with Fury. She sighed and doubted anything good was going to come from telling him, but she did promise him more honesty. She wasn't stupid; she knew that everything would at some point bite her in the ass again. Marie took Steve's hand in hers and decided to come clean. She prayed that he wouldn't be too pissed… And that he would understand her. "Steve." She said hesitantly. "Yes?" he asked her. "I'm trying to be honest now, and I hope you'll let me tell everything before you react." She said and Steve clenched her hand a bit. "Sure, anything you need."

Marie took a deep breath before starting. "You asked me yesterday why I would work for S.H.I.E.L.D. when I keep saying I don't want to go back." Steve nodded encouragingly. "I made a deal with Fury some time ago." Steve's eyes hardened. "What deal?" he asked trying to hide the concern in his voice. "I want S.H.I.E.L.D. to make a containment unit… for me." She admitted. Steve dropped her hand. "What? Why the hell would you want that?!" Steve exclaimed angrily.

"Just let me tell you the whole story okay?" she asked him, and Steve angrily exhaled before gesturing for her to continue. Marie proceeded to tell him about the blue man in the mirror and what he told her. As she continued on she could see that Steve was more and more disbelieving of her. When she finished Steve was clearly mad at her. "Do you honestly want me to believe that? That's insane!" Steve told her and Marie felt the shame and anger bubbling inside her right then and there.

"You don't think I don't know that! Maybe I'm going insane Steve!" she yelled at him. Marie was honestly afraid, she'd never told anyone, not even Steve that mental illness ran in her family, and that her biggest fear was going insane. She'd seen it happen with her grandma when she had been a child, and the experience had traumatised her. "Or maybe you just ate a bad piece of lasagna and hallucinated Marie!" Steve yelled back at her. "It happens to everyone!" Marie felt like she had been slapped, Steve not believing her was a horrible feeling, but Steve continued, "You always do this Marie! You go and blow up a small situation into something massive and over dramatic! Instead of talking it out like normal people, you always have to make everything worse! Jesus Christ I feel like I'm in a relationship with an insane person!" He yelled at her.

Marie pursed her lips before coldly replying, "So I'm crazy, that's it?" before turning and leaving the kitchen. "-that's not how I meant it and you know it!" Steve yelled out after her while throwing his arms in the air in despair. Marie, who had now re-entered with a S.H.I.E.L.D. file in hand, and smacked it into Steve's chest. "I'm going for a walk." She said angrily as she put on her shoes and jacket and left the apartment.

* * *

...

Outside the apartment Marie grumbled out angrily "I'm crazy? I'd rather be crazy than a too trusting idiot…" and then sighed hating the fact that the only negative thing she could say about Steve was that he was too trusting. She jumped in her car and decided to drive around the city until she'd calmed down again. Marie hadn't even noticed that Magneto's powers had been calm during her fight with Steve. She stopped the car next to a small grocery store after some time and started punching the steering wheel, while every honk the car emitted perfectly covered the swears exiting her mouth.

After the eight or ninth honk she'd finally calmed down a bit. Marie then noticed a man stood next to her car window. He knocked on the window and Marie opened it and looked up. "Bonjour Chere." The man said and Marie recognised him as the swamp-rat that had apparently saved her life. "Umm… Hi?" She asked while wondering what the odds were for her to run into him in this run down part of the city. The swamp-rat smirked and leaned down on the car and closer to Marie. "Chere, a beautiful woman like you shouldn't be in these parts of the city." Marie snorted. "I can handle myself swamp-rat." She said lifting an eyebrow at him.

"Remy isn't saying you can't, just that you shouldn't be out and about already – you were hit pretty badly, and what kind of a man would Remy be if wasn't concerned for your health?" he asked while grinning. Marie rolled her eyes, but felt a little bit better and happier than before. "I know what kind of a man you are swamp-rat, my momma always warned me about your type." She said her accent starting to show and Remy smiled honestly at her.

"Well Chere, Remy can't fathom why any mother would warn their child against a perfectly well-behaved gentleman, but Remy won't judge their parenting." Marie felt another eye roll, but refrained from doing it. "How about this," Remy continued; "we go grab something to eat over there," He pointed to the Chinese restaurant next to the grocery store. "and you can get to know the gentleman that saved your life a little better." Marie bit her lip, she knew she shouldn't, but what harm was there. He could distract her from the anger she felt at Steve at the moment. Marie got out of the car and locked it. "Lead the way, but let me make this clear – I have a boyfriend." She told him while crossing her arms. Remy laughed. "Remy's not worried about that Chere," he offered his arm and Marie took it. "Should he be?" Marie grinned "Probably." Remy smirked and the two entered the restaurant and quickly found a small table in the back.

"So," Marie began as they were served their drinks. "Who are you? And knowing that you somehow know Natasha makes this much more interesting." She grinned. Remy smiled "Well, Remy and Natasha go way back – she once tried to kill and for whatever reason she decided that Remy was too handsome to kill so here I am." Marie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I think I'll get that story out of her instead." Remy faked a shocked look. "Don't believe Remy? Chere, who would want to end this beautiful face? It would be a crime against humanity." Marie snorted a bit. "Right. If you say so." The waitress served them their meals, and the two started eating. "But no really, what's your deal?" Marie asked him seriously. Remy took another bite before answering.

"Well, Remy is not a dishonest man, but he does work in a dishonest trade. You're from the other side of the river – ever heard of the thieves guild?" he asked and Marie nodded. "Who hasn't?" She said rhetorically and remembered some time a go when a valuable blue jewel had been on loan to the Mississippi Museum of Art. Within twenty-four hours it had been stolen. The papers had gone mad, and while everything pointed at several not so secret guild members, nothing could be proven. "You might see how my path has crossed with Natasha's now. We both work high risk trades." Marie nodded understandingly.

"So what kind of family life did you have growing up? I mean aren't guild members all family?" Marie asked her curiosity peeked. Remy shrugged. "A pretty normal one Chere, father, brothers and aunt Mattie – now there was a woman who new how to swing the rolling pin." He laughed a bit. Marie felt jealous as he continued telling her about his family, and all the great and funny stories from his childhood. Marie wished that her childhood had been the same. They laughed when Remy told about the time his brother had to dress up as a woman to seduce a guard, and saddened when he told of Aunt Mattie's passing due to an illness that had no cure. To Marie it seems like the rest of the world had disappeared while the two of them talked, and she loved every minute of it.  
Remy was about to tell another story when her phone pinged.

The name Steve popped up on the screen with a small message under it that read: "Could you please come home – we need to talk about this." Marie sighed not wanting her dinner to end. "Is it your Beau?" Remy asked her knowingly. Marie nodded. "Yeah, sorry but I have to go." Remy smiled "No problem Chere. " He handed her a small piece of paper with his number on it. Marie raised an eyebrow at him. Remy grinned. "It's only what you make it out be." He said vaguely before pulling out some money and placing it on the table. "Let me pay." Marie tried convincing him but Remy would have none of it. "Non. You can pay the next time." "Who says there's gonna be a next time swamp rat?" She countered back. "Like I said, the number is what you make it to be; a friend, a lover or brother – Remy been told he's good at all the parts." Marie shook head in comical disbelief. "You're something alright." She said laughing before saying goodbye and leaving Remy in the restaurant. Remy, grinning widely, never took his eyes of her as she left the restaurant.

* * *

...

Marie texted Steve back that she'd be there in twenty minutes while she was getting into the car. The lack of traffic on the roads bothered her as she got there earlier than expected. She took a minute to breathe inside the car, and in her hand was the number from Remy. She didn't even think it through when she saved the number in her phone. She left the car and threw the card into a trashcan outside the building, before entering. Walking up the stairs she couldn't help but feel nervous. A million scenarios played out in her head, but she shook her head and ignored them. She hesitated at the door for a second before opening the door and entering the small hallway. "Steve?" she called out hesitantly. "Living room." His voice answered back neutrally.

When Marie entered living room she saw Steve sitting on the floor between the couch and the coffee table with papers all over the table and even some of them on the floor. She leaned against the doorframe crossing her arms not bothering to take of her jacket or shoes. Steve let go of the paper currently in his grasp, sighed and rubbed his tired face with his hands. "It feels like every time we solve a problem a new gets slapped in our faces." Steve said quietly. Marie sighed and sat down next to him. "I know." She said sadly. "We can't tell anyone about this. Not yet at least." Marie said. "I don't want to lie to our friends Marie." Steve said harshly while Marie rolled her eyes. "And you think that I want to Steve?" she asked him. "After everything we've been through together, after you've made it clear to me that honesty is the only way we can be together, do you really think that I want to lie to the people I care about the most?" She said hurt.

Steve sighed. "No, I… So what? We're supposed to ignore this until it becomes a problem? Why not deal with it right away?" He questioned Marie. This time Marie rubbed her face tiredly. "Steve… It's not my decision to make. Besides, at this point, I agree with Fury. The more attention S.H.I.E.L.D. puts on this thing, the more likely it is that someone is going to find out about – because they always do sugar. And that's a risk no one is willing to take right now. Not when we know so little about it." Steve exhaled "Jesus Christ." "Language." Marie berated him but without any heat.

Marie took his hands in hers. "Steve. Like I said. This is me being honest with you. This thing, whatever it really is, could probably destroy the world. And that's the reason why Fury is so adamant and unsure on how to handle it. And when Fury is unsure all of us are." Steve clenched her hand. "So we really are just going to pretend that this doesn't exist." He said gesturing to the papers all around them. Marie nodded. "Do you understand why I made that deal with Fury now?" "I don't like it." He stated. "But I understand." Marie kissed him on the cheek. "I don't like it either, but it's a necessity. Better to be prepared than sorry." Steve grunted. "I don't like you being in the middle of all of this. It doesn't feel right. Why you?"

"I honestly think I must have been evil in a past life, it's the only thing that could explain all the bad karma coming at me like a racoon at a restaurant dumpster." She joked trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't help much. Steve rolled his eyes. "Impossible. In what universe is it possible for you to be a bad guy?"  
Marie snorted. "Please sugar, if I hadn't gotten photographic memory as a kid, my life would be very different now. I might even have joined Magneto willingly." The both of them shook at the mental image it created. Marie clenched his hand again. "What did I do to deserve you Steve?" she asked him honestly. "I could ask you the same," He said kissing her forehead. "Just know, that when this plays out, whenever and however it might be, I'm with until the end of the line." Marie hugged him as his words comforted her.

"So now what?" Steve asks her still unsure of where they stood on the matter they couldn't and wouldn't discuss anymore. "Now, " Marie says with a sad smile looking at all the papers. "We clean up this mess."

It didn't take them long to fall back into the same patterns as before the fight, Marie went to work and Steve went on missions. The times they were together were spent in comfort but Marie knew that the elephant in the room would at times suffocate them.  
Both of them wanted to talk about the secret that they shared with Fury, but neither of them wanted to initiate the conversation out fear that the other would become angry. There was nothing that they could do with the knowledge they had. And it bothered them both, and after a while it started bothering Clint and Natasha that their friends clearly kept a secret from them that they weren't willing to share. But even they knew that there were certain secrets that they weren't entitled to learn, that belonged only to the couple just as Clint and Natasha had theirs.  
Natasha had a cup of coffee in her hand as she and Clint strolled through the park a beautiful and quiet morning. "It bothers me. I need to know." Clint, Natasha had learned a long time ago, was very persistent. "It's their secret Clint, not yours. You have to respect that." She countered back at him. She would never admit it, but she was just as curious as Clint was. These last couple of months had been weird between Steve and Marie, and that left Natasha and Clint feeling weird whenever they were all together. "I'd tell them to fuck it out of their systems but clearly they're already doing that." He said with a grimace on his face with Natasha smirking at him "That's what you get, " She told him "For breaking into people's apartments." "Okay, I didn't break in, the door was unlocked so I let my self in. There's a pretty big difference there. It's not my fault they were going at it like rabbits on the couch." Natasha muttered an "I'm sure." before taking another sip of the lukewarm coffee.

"Whatever it is, it feels like it something that will potentially ruin their relationship, and I feel it's our duty to help them overcome it." Natasha rolled her eyes at him. "Uhuh, and you have no ulterior motive, you really want them to be together?" She asked him and this time Clint wanted to roll his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean Nat?" They stopped when they reached the lake and sat on the grass enjoying the view. "Clint, I know you better than you do." She said and Clint muttered a quiet "Don't remind me." "And I also happen to know when you fall in love." Clint snorted. "Please. That wasn't love. Yeah, I had a thing for Marie when I first recruited her but it was clear it wasn't both ways. She fell hard and fast for Cap. Who wouldn't, he's quite dreamy." The last part was said jokingly, but they both new it was to cover up some lingering pain.

"If you say so. I'm pretty sure that you haven't been with anyone in some time." Natasha commented and Clint shrugged. "So, I'm not celibate but I'm no man whore either." Natasha snorted into her coffee cup. "I'm just saying, I think it's time for you to focus on someone else, and if works out great, if not – nothing ventured nothing gained." Clint sprawled out on the grass. "Laura did call me up some time ago, talked about giving marriage another chance." Natasha grunted, "That wasn't really what I meant but whatever floats your boat Clint." "Come on, it wouldn't be that bad." Natasha rolled her eyes. "Then why do feel like if you do this, then you're not coming back." She said. Clint laughed. "You make it sound like Laura is planning to murder me and hide the body."  
Natasha shrugged. "I've never been a fan of hers, and she never liked your job with S.H.I.E.L.D. I just wouldn't put it past her to figure out a way to convince you to stop working with us." _"And me."_ Natasha thought sadly, though she didn't let it show. "Please, it would take more than just Laura begging me to stay for that to happen." Clint said as he stood up, while Natasha joined him. Their phones vibrated telling them to gear up for new mission. Clint looked at Natasha. "I love this job more than I love Laura. And that ain't gonna change. Only she will, if she wants our marriage to work again." Clint stated and Natasha shook her head but refrained from commenting.

* * *

Fun fact: When I wrote operation Rogue my main pairing was always, from the very beginning Hawkeye/Rogue. But the more I wrote the more natural it was to pair Rogue and Captain together. ...


	10. Chapter 15

Another one :-) 

* * *

**Chapter 15:**

The last couple of days the weather had been dull with thunder rolling in over the city every once in a while, perfectly reflecting Marie's mood. Natasha sat across from her on the couch reading Cosmo while Steve was in the kitchen preparing dinner for the three. Natasha sighed. "Marie, you've got to stop with the pouting." She told the younger woman. Marie rolled her eyes. "I do not pout." "You are right now." Steve said while carrying a casserole through the living room to the dining table. Natasha continued reading but commented, "It was Clint's own choice to leave." "I know… But it feels like I'm the only one not okay with this. I mean he chooses to leave, fine, but to go back to an ex-wife? I mean, what do we even know about her? It could be a trap!" she said sounding more and more agitated.  
Natasha sighed again. "None of us are happy with this Marie, least of all me. But Clint's a stubborn man; if he want's to do something he'll do it, even if it kills him. The best thing is to let it play out. If it goes anything like last time, he'll be back before you know it." Steve decided to put his two cents in. "Besides, are you angry that he left, or that he left and that he didn't say goodbye?" He asked Marie and she shrugged. "Both." "Just trust me on this," Natasha said as they got up and took their places at the dinner table. "He'll be back soon again." "I know…" Marie sighed. "He just upped and left us… I swear the next time I see him I'm gonna kick his ass." She finished tiredly. "How about, in the mean time, we all enjoy this delicious casserole I've been slaving over in the kitchen for the last two hours." Steve said happily. "You sound like an old housewife." Natasha commented and grinned. "He's **my** housewife." Marie joked and kissed him on the cheek while giggling. "I can't wait for Clint to come back." Steve claimed while he shook his head in despair.

The three enjoyed the evening even though they were one man short. The many glasses of red wine helped lift the mood greatly and soon Natasha left the two behind. Steve and Marie were cleaning when Steve's phone went off. Steve answered hoping it was a telemarketer, but they both knew he was being shipped out on another mission. Steve finished the call and went to grab a duffle bag from the bedroom. When he came back into the kitchen he found Marie leaning against the counter top with her arms crossed. "What is it?" Steve asked her when he noticed the frown on her face.  
Marie sighed and came up to him and kissed him. "Nothing, just… stay safe. Do you know how long it'll be?" She asked him. Steve embraced her lovingly. "You know I will. I don't know – shouldn't be more than two weeks tops." He kissed her lovingly goodbye and left the apartment. Marie sighed and went into living room and slouched down on the couch. During times like these she honestly missed the people inside her mind. They would always help her overcome the loneliness she felt. _"Come on Marie, don't wallow in your own self pity."_ She thought to her self. Deciding that she needed to get out of the apartment and that she needed some noise, she got ready to head over to the institute. _"Ain't no peace and quiet over there…"_ she thought smiling a bit. She grabbed a few things and toiletries, locked the apartment and left.

It didn't take Marie very long to arrive at the gates of the institute and park the car in the garage. Logan was in there fixing up a bike, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Everything all right?" He asked eyeing the small bag in her arms. Marie nodded and smiled tiredly. "Yeah, the apartment is just too quiet at the moment." Logan nodded and didn't pry further. "Well you came to the right place then, I swear this place is like a fucking circus at times." He muttered annoyed and Marie laughed. "I'm gonna go find Ororo, enjoy your peace and quiet Logan." She smiled. Logan grunted in reply while re-focusing on the bike and its many problems. Marie shook her head a bit in amusement, but left the man to his devices.  
It didn't take her long to find the weather witch, she merely followed common room noise that increased by several decibels the closer she got. There, in between the massive amounts of gathered children, she saw the woman trying to keep order of the many younger children that were sprawled around the floor with pillows and blankets everywhere. Ororo spotted Marie in the doorway and looked relieved to see her. She quickly made her way to her, and Marie couldn't help but chuckle at the desperation in the other woman's eyes. The same desperation could be seen in Piotr and Bobby's eyes, but they were jumped by children all wanting to choose whatever movie they were supposed to be watching tonight.

"Thank god you're here." Ororo said grabbing a hold of Marie's arm and pulling her away from the common room. "I need wine. Now." Marie laughed at her but let herself be dragged away. It wasn't long before they were in the kitchen area and wine was being poured into glasses. "Are you planning on staying tonight?" Ororo asked, finally taking notice of the small bag Marie had carried with her. "Yeah, Steve's out on work business and I'm not used to the quiet. I needed some noise." Ororo snorted into her glass. "Well you're in the right place then." Marie chuckled. "Yeah, that's what everyone keeps saying. How's the movie night working out for you?" she asked jokingly. Ororo rolled her eyes. "A success as you can tell. The kids love it, but the grown ups – not so much." "I can imagine." Marie replied happy that the deafening silence she had felt before was gone now. The constant noise of the school calmed her nerves, and soon whatever worry she had had for Steve was in the back of her mind.

Marie bit her lip lost in thought, and Ororo noticed. "What is it child?" Marie shook her head. "Nothing… Just. Do you ever get one of those feelings, like something is about to happen but you don't know what or why?" she asked her. Ororo's lips pursed. "Yes, and the last time it did, bad things happened. Listen to your gut Rogue, if it says something is wrong, something usually is." Marie frowned. "I don't know what to do, I told Steve to stay safe – but I don't think it's gonna be sufficient." Ororo sighed. "If you feel there isn't anything you can do, then I guess you just have to learn to accept the feeling until he returns to you." Marie shrugged. "Maybe… Or I ate some bad chilli and this is all gas." Ororo cracked a smile. "Maybe." She looked at the clock on the wall. "Time to do rounds. Why don't you get settled? You know where your room is." Marie nodded and smiled. "Sure, see you around." Marie washed the two glasses while Ororo exited to do her finish her duties for the night.

_  
Marie had just washed up, and put on her pyjamas when a small knock on her door echoed. She looked at the small clock next to her bed, _"Eleven-thirty. Who's making social visits at this time."_ she thought tiredly but went to answer the door. To her surprise Hank was standing there. He was slightly taken aback seeing her standing there in a blue pyjamas with cartoon lambs motifs. "My apologies Rogue, I wasn't sure if you were still awake." He apologised quickly and Marie waved her hands dismissively. "I was still up, so no bother. What can I do for you Hank?" She asked the massive blue man.  
He looked a bit awkward and cleared his throat shortly. "I was hoping to discuss a small matter with you, if you had the time. If not I can come back some other time." Marie shook her head. "No problem, please come in." She stated and showed him into the room. The two of them sat at the foot of her bed. "Rogue, there has been a small matter I have wanted to discuss with you for some time now, but I haven't had the time to do so." Hank told her. "What is it?" Marie asked curiously and small part of her was worried about whatever this conversation was about.

"Well, I was hoping I could discuss the matter of your powers with you?" He asked gently and Marie knew that Hank knew the truth about her. _"Shit…. What now?"_ She thought in despair. "What do you wanna know?" she asked a bit uncertain. "Well, the nature of your power is unlike anything I have come across before." He began and now Marie was confused. "Your powers are completely similar to that of Magneto, whom you have met before. " Hank stated and Marie scowled at the mention of him. "What of it?" She asked him still concerned. "Not only are you similar, your powers are, on a molecular level, exactly the same. This is uncanny, rare even for two people who are related such as twins. Which leads me to my question, are you Magneto's daughter?"

There was a moment of silence.

Then another.

And another.

Marie sighed and rubbed her face. "No… thank god... I'm not." Hank stared at her perplexed, like she was riddle he couldn't figure out. "Then how?" He asked, not really knowing how to construct the question he wanted an answer to. Marie sighed again. "Hank, please promise me you won't tell anyone. I couldn't bare it if they would look at me like I'm a monster." She asked of him saddened.

Hank was confused. "My dear, no one would look at you like a monster, I'm sure of it. Here you are among people who are like you and understand you."

Marie shook her head. "No I'm not. No one is like me Hank. But you're right." She admitted. "Normally having the exact same power as someone else requires blood relations. But if that doesn't seem to be the case, it would require…" She finished letting him draw his own conclusion. Hank was startled. "It would require a power that can completely copy another's on a molecular level." He finished rubbing his head in wonder. "Stars and garters…" He finished and Marie chuckled shortly. "Why didn't you just say this when you first came to institute?" He asked curiously. "Because … We all carry our sins and burdens, and mine aren't pretty Hank. They aren't something that I wanted out in the open, and besides… they cause me great shame."

"My dear, we all have our sins. You think Logan, Ororo or even I are free of sins?" Marie shrugged, "have any of you ever killed a child? Have any of you ever hurt the people that you love to the point that the fell into a coma because of a kiss? Because I have Hank." She admitted and Hank froze. "My powers manifested when I was child no older than seven Hank. Whenever I touch someone, I… Absorb them. Everything they are becomes mine… Or at least a copy of them… Their memories… Their knowledge… skills too. Sometimes even their looks if I've taken enough from them. I was seven years old the first time my powers turned me into a monster – a killer." Marie told Hank of her upbringing and the many times her powers had caused her great heartache and pain. Hank said nothing during her recollection of her formative years. He didn't know if there was anything he could say to her. When she finished they both sat in silence while Marie stared into the floor and Hank thought of the many trials the young woman had endured in her still short life.

After awhile Marie broke the silence. "Please don't tell anyone. I couldn't take if they all feared me or hated me." She pleaded silently. For a while it seemed like Hank was debating himself on the matter, until he finally took her hand in his. "My dear…" He began softly. "For one so young, destiny it seems has been against you from the very beginning. Fear not though, your secret is safe with me." He said and Marie's eyes were filled with hope. "But I do believe, that at some point you will have to tell the others. They deserve to know the truth. And sooner rather than later, for these things have a habit of haunting us at the worst of times." Hank finished and Marie nodded. "I never meant to grow attached to this place, t'be honest." She admitted and Hank smiled. "My plan was always to get control of Magneto's powers, and then leave. But I don't think that I can find in m'heart to do that now." Hank noticed her accent would be thickening whenever she was being sincere and honest, as she was now. He let go of her hand and the two walked to the door. Hank left her room but not before Marie thanked him.  
"Whatever for?" he asked curiously. "For giving me a chance." She said and the two of them smiled sadly at each other. "Everyone deserves a second chance Rogue. I know this very well." "Marie." She said and he nodded. "Goodnight Marie." He finished and left the corridor. "Goodnight." She replied while closing the door.

Marie sighed and leaned against the now closed door. Even though this conversation and admittance had been hard on her, it still didn't remove the horrible feeling in her gut. She knew something worse was on the move. She walked towards her bed and went to sleep, but the rest that she was hoping for didn't come easy.

...

When Marie woke up the next morning she felt like crap. She'd barely gotten any sleep last night, and the sleep she did get was interrupted by her own sub consciousness every hour or so. She was in a pretty grumpy and tired mood, so at first she didn't notice quiet but violent buzzing of the students everywhere from classroom, common room to the kitchen. It wasn't until she'd poured cereal in a bowl that she noticed a lack of teaching staff in the kitchens.  
Not only that, none of the children were in classes, and while Friday classes were known to be starting late around ten a.m. Marie thought too many of them were running freely around. She looked around in the kitchen and spotted the junior x-men eating late breakfast and decided to join them. "Do you mind if I join you?" she asked the group of four. An Asian girl was the first to responds happily. "Not at all chica, grab a seat." "Thanks." Marie said gratefully before taking another look around. "Where is everybody?" she asked the occupants of the table. Bobby and Kitty shrugged, and where more interested in each other than the conversation.

Piotr frowned but calmly answered, "An urgent matter came up early this morning requiring their attention." He nodded at her to leave the table with her, and Marie although confused left the table with him and found somewhere quiet to talk. "What's going on?" Marie asked him. Piotr looked nervous. "The professor thinks they have found the late Jean Grey alive. They have gone to retrieve her." Marie was shocked at the thought.  
"Wait, I thought she was dead?" she asked him and he nodded. "Her body was never found, it was taken by the current of a flood when we were saving the children that were kidnapped from the school." Piotr answered gravely. "But if you ask me, it is never a good sign when the dead returns." He commented and Marie's stomach clenched. "So, what? We're the only ones here to look after the children? What are we supposed to do with them – there are hundreds of kids and the two of us!" Marie exclaimed nervously. Piotr shrugged. "We honestly do not have plans for these situations. We just give the children the day off and hope they do not burn the school down."

Marie didn't know what shocked her more; the fact that they were bringing a supposed dead woman back into the school, or that all the teachers but one had left the school to "help" bring back one woman.

"Not good enough." Marie said defiantly and Piotr looked curiously at her. "What do you propose?" He asked her. "Gather all the seniors. I got a plan." "Meet you in the kitchen in ten minutes?" He asked and Marie nodded. _"I hope my plan works… otherwise I'll be the biggest loser ever…"_ Marie thought and groaned. "What am I doing?!" she exclaimed but when back to the kitchens to wait for Piotr and the other seniors.

Marie stood with a false calmness in front of thirty or more seniors, and only Piotr by her side made her feel somewhat confident that the plan would work. "Okay everyone listen up!" She called out over the chatter the teenagers were emitting. All of them surprisingly shut up. "Piotr and I are the last teachers standing right now, we don't know where the others have gone or when they'll get back. But let us make this clear. This is not a free pass to do whatever you like today!" A wave of groans was emitted, but surprisingly it was Jubilee's that was the loudest. "Quiet!" Piotr yelled out, and everyone froze at the odd sight of the gentle giant yelling at them.  
He gestured at Marie to continue. "We are not gonna force you to study," She continued and a small roar of happiness was heard that made the two teachers roll their eyes. "But," she continued and the happiness was followed immediately by groans again. "We are going to make you help the younger kids. Each and every one of you is going to find two or three of the younger kids. You are going to tutor them and help them with their homework from ten until one o'clock. After that your weekend begins." At this Jubilee yelled out "Spread the word to the mini- dweebs and lets get this over with!" and everyone quickly scattered out of the kitchen.

Piotr turned to Marie. "I will be forever in your debt if this works and the school doesn't catch fire." He told her. Marie grinned. "You make it sound like it's happened before?" She asked and Piotr replied. "More times than I can count." He shook his head and Marie laughed. The two then left to enforce the plan for the day.

It was around eleven thirty when the blackbird returned with all the teachers and one comatose redheaded woman, Marie noticed. But it wasn't until around twelve o'clock that the professor and the remaining teachers exited the med bay and joined the school grounds again. The school was so quiet that you could hear pin drop. Marie and Piotr had enforced their plan with little trouble, and both had finished with their rounds across the school when they met up with the teachers and the Professor. "Where are all the children, why is it so quiet here?" Ororo asked concerned voicing what the others thought too.  
Piotr grinned. "That is the sound of hard work and studying." Marie smiled. "We managed to convince the seniors to help and tutor the younger children from ten until one, making sure that none of them fall behind." She added happily. Ororo and the other looked around the different rooms and saw several young children surrounding one or more seniors, all calmly studying together. Though many of the seniors did occasionally grab their phones going on social media, they turned to the kids whenever they asked for help.  
"That's it. We're in the twilight zone. I need a drink." Logan grunted before leaving to grab a drink from the kitchens. The professor smiled at the two young teachers. "Amazing work you two. I am proud of you, and the children." They both thanked the professor for the compliment. "Seeing as this is quite the success, perhaps we should make this a more permanent part of the schedule." He said when Jubilees voice suddenly yelled out "GOD NO!" from one of the break rooms. The professor chuckled before leaving them to their own devices. Marie turned to Piotr. "I'm calling it a day. Seriously." And he nodded in complete agreement.

They all went their separate ways, and Marie was half way up to her room when she thought she heard something. _"Come to me…"_ "What the?" she muttered out looking around, but seeing and hearing nothing. She shook her head before continuing her walk up the stairs.

" _Come to me…. "_

"Seriously, what the hell?" She called out now. Marie looked around the hallway and was about to take another step up the stairs, when something in her gut told her to walk down again. Marie bit her lip, didn't move for a second and the walked down.

" _Come to me…. "_

The voice was getting stronger in her mind the closer she got to the med bay. She found herself in front of the doors to the med bay. Marie placed her hand against the cool steel surface of the doors, and before she could open them she was interrupted. "Marie, what are you doing down here?" Hank asked her concerned. Marie shook head, and took a step back from the doors. "Just needed get something for my stomach, it's been acting up all day." She pretended to wince and Hank nodded. He pulled a small pill bottle from coat and handed her two pills. "They should help with any discomfort you feel." Marie thanked him.  
She turned and left the med bay, but not before catching another glimpse of the red haired woman. She was lying down on a hospital bed dressed in a white gown. Marie could also see Scott sitting next to the bed. But what she saw was fleeting, and for some unexplainable reason she felt the need to enter the room and see the woman. The woman, whose demise had caused so much pain in the occupants of this school, its faculty and its students… but she didn't. Marie decided that it was best not to get into the middle of whatever this was going to evolve into.

She checked her phone on her way up to the main floor. There was a short message from Steve. "In Germany. Nat joined me. Staying safe." Marie smiled at the message. _"At least he has the best partner in the field with him."_ Marie thought sadly still missing Clint and thinking he should be with right there with them. She tried distracting herself by going through some of the German new sites online to see if she could spot anything that could be related to their mission, but quickly came up empty. Marie sighed and decided that whatever it was, probably wouldn't gather too much media coverage.

" _Come to me…"_

" _Damn it… What am I doing?"_ She asked herself when she found herself going towards the med bay again. This time the med bay was empty of all occupants and she slowly neared the bed with that held the sleeping form of Jean Grey Summers. _"She looks innocent and calm sleeping like that…"_ she thought.

It felt like a lifetime ago that Marie was younger and more innocent. She thought back to the night on the statue of liberty again. There was a heavy darkness just floating in her body, and it had been there ever since her run in with Magneto. Every day her body and mind felt heavier and darker. _"If it wasn't for Steve distracting me, who knows what I'd do…"_ she thought shaking her head. Marie looked down and saw her own hand slowly gliding towards that of Jeans.

" _Do it…"_ A voice in the back of her mind told her.

" _I shouldn't…"_ Marie thought but she grabbed the other woman's wrist trying to get a read on who Jean Grey Summers was. "What the?" Marie exclaimed confused when nothing happened.

She once again tried forcing her power to absorb Jean, this time harder resulting in veins connecting both women's skin. The pain Marie felt from forcing her power like this was greater than she'd ever felt. In her mind she suddenly felt a rush of power unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. A great and burning being had entered her mind. Unlike any of the people she'd absorbed Marie couldn't tear this being apart no matter how much she tried. The being caused a burning sensation spreading from where their skin connected and on to the rest of Marie's body. Marie barely suppressed a scream of pain.

Marie let go of the other woman's hand and fell to the floor while her healing factor battled what felt like fire burning her inside out.

Marie stopped trying to fight the being inside her mind knowing it was futile. Her vision started to blacken, and Marie accepted that this time she might not survive. Jeans Eyes opened from where she lay on the bed and pitch black eyes suddenly turned back into their normal blue and rolled into the back of her head.

Marie was floating in between a conscious and unconscious state of mind, until she was violently pulled into her own mind.  
 _ **Everything around her was black and Marie could barely see anything until out of nowhere a great bird of fire appeared. It consumed everything but Marie wouldn't let her control of her mind go. Her anger and stubbornness was building up more and more. She summoned what powers she had in her arsenal and let them run wildly through her. "I will not lose my mind!" Marie stubbornly proclaimed through gritted teeth while her healing factor was working overtime healing her from the constant fire the Bird was burning her with.  
The phoenix screeched angrily and batted its wings at her, burning Marie even more and making her scream out in pain. Marie fell to her knees but used the power of her mind to create a shield separating them to protect her mind.  
Marie realised that she'd absorbed part of the phoenix's powers, and summoned its fire to encase her body, protecting her from the bird's fiery attacks. Marie rose on shaky legs. "My turn birdy." She said and the phoenix screeched in anger again when it realised its attacks no longer hurt her. Marie focused all her mental power and energy and flew up to attack the invading force in her mind.  
Her first attack hit true, causing the phoenix great pain. She'd hit it right in the chest, and the part she'd hit was dissolving into the blackness of mind. Marie hurried to attack it once more but the Phoenix flew around her, dodging the attack, and it opened its great beak swallowing Marie in one go.**_

 _ **Marie struggled and started to panic inside the fiery belly of the beast. She constantly attacked the bird from inside, but her attacks seemed futile, as she never got closer to getting out of the bird. The massive fiery form slowly healed the wounds Marie was causing it.  
The fire was drowning her and felt like an infinite amount of it was surrounding her. Marie felt fury burning inside her; she summoned all her mental energy and screamed. The energy was released in one violent pulse, burning the phoenix from the inside out as it had done to her. The pulse killed of every last flame of the bird. Marie started falling as the blackness of her mind encased her…**_

"Rogue… Rogue… Rogue…" Marie groaned and her body felt like two trucks had hit it. She blinked several times before her eyes adjusted to bright light of the med bay. When they finally did it was Hanks furry, blue and worried face that flashed her eyes with a flashlight causing her to groan. She tried getting up but Hank pushed her down. Marie's head was killing her. "We found you collapsed on the floor," Hank said worried and it was only then she noticed the other persons in the room. The professor sat with a neutral expression on his face, while Ororo stood next to him a worried look in her eyes but just as reserved.  
Only Logan, who stood behind them in the back of the room, was was glaring at her making her wonder what the hell they thought had happened. "What happened?" Hank finished.  
Marie looked around and assumed they must have placed her into another part of the med bay because she no longer saw the body of Jean Grey Summers in the room she was in. Marie rubbed her head while sitting up slightly. "There was a voice… " She mumbled still a bit disoriented. The professor wheeled up to her bed. "What did it say?" He asked her. "It kept telling me come down here… and then all I remember I felt like I was burning inside out..." The professor frowned. "Anything else?" he asked her patiently. Marie nodded. "I think there was a bird… It was made of fire. To be honest it attacked me." Marie said now fully aware but her head still killing her. The professor's face turned into one of worry and Marie swears she saw a hint of fear in the man's eyes.

"I'm concerned about this voice you heard. If you wouldn't mind, would you allow me to do a surface scan of your mind?" He asked her, and Marie bit her lip. "Christ Chuck! You're even asking?" Logan growled and Marie was taken aback at the fury in his voice. "After what just happened?" Marie looked confused at the occupants. "What happened?" She asked worried. The professor turned to Logan. "I will not invade someone's privacy and break their trust, no matter the circumstance Logan. Now please." He said and Logan growled but let the man turn back to Marie. "What happened?!" She asked slightly angry that no one was answering her question.

The professor sighed. "Jean Grey Summers, who was in a coma when we found her and brought her here, woke up sometime ago. She attacked the staff and ran off. We are still trying to locate her." He said summing up what had happened while Marie had been battling the phoenix force she had absorbed in to her mind. "Now, will you allow me?" He asked and Marie nodded and opened her mind to his intrusion.  
The professor looked around her mind quickly, before releasing his hold of it gently. "There is nothing to worry about," He told her and Marie nodded. "There is no evidence of the phoenix affecting in her mind." He told the others. Marie frowned. "You knew about that thing… And brought it into the school?" She asked him upset.

The professor sighed. "I'm afraid I did. The phoenix force has been a part of Jean since she was very young, before she even came to the institute. I was supposed to help her control it, but instead young Jean learned to suppress it. I believe that is why her alter ego is now in control." Marie rubbed her wrist where she still felt a slight burning sensation. "That ain't no alter ego." She said angrily and the others were surprised at her anger. "When the phoenix was inside my head, believe me there wasn't anything human there. Whatever it is that's in control of her body, it ain't human. Woman tried burning me alive from the inside out…" she muttered the last part to herself forgetting about Logan's super hearing. The others didn't hear her but the look of concern in his eyes told Marie that he did.  
"Can I go? I feel fine now." Marie asked Hank, and the man sighed. "I would like to keep you, but if you feel any pain or any other symptom I want you down here immediately." He said knowing her healing would take care of her better than he could. Marie nodded and left the room Logan hot on her heels. Marie made the elevator and closed the door using Magneto's powers not wanting to talk to anyone right now. She heard Logan growl in front of the door but ignored him. It wasn't long until she found herself inside her bedroom. She slouched down on her bed mentally exhausted, savouring the peace and quiet she knew wasn't going to last very long. She lifted her hand and watched as fire began outlining it. _"Well shit…"_ Marie thought.

Logan re-entered the med bay angrily. "Something ain't right." He nearly growled. "There's something the Kid ain't telling us." He paced the room and finally growled looking at them. The professor sighed. "I'm sure Rogue has told us everything she know and deems relevant in finding Jean, Logan." He stated and Logan shook his. "She's not being honest with us Chuck." Logan said and noticed how Hank looked away. "You." He said. "You know something." Logan growled at Hank.  
The professor and Ororo looked in surprise at him. "Hank?" Ororo asked wanting him to clarify.  
Hank cleared his throat a bit. "Well… Young Rogue may have, in confidence that is, discussed certain aspects of her powers and past with me… But it is of no relevance to this episode. And I shall not break her confidence in me, as I have already suggested for her to tell all of us in her own time." Hank said looking stubborn. The professor nodded. "Of course. None of us would ask you to break her confidence in you, correct Logan?" He said giving a pointed look to the man in question. Logan only growled. "Now," the professor said rubbing his eyes slightly defeated and tired. "If you'll excuse me. I'll be in cerebro looking for Jean. Hank please do update me when Scott wakes up."

...

* * *

Working on the next chapter rapidly :-)


	11. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Marie was absolutely amazed.

She was flying around her bedroom while her body was on fire.

She'd already gotten a hang of how to control the Phoenix fire and now she was just playing around; creating different objects and animals out of fire when a small knock fell on her door.

Surprised she fell to the floor with a big thump echoing through the room.

Ororo opened the door and saw Marie getting up from the floor.

"Are you all right Rogue?" She asked her.

"Yeah, just peachy." Marie answered. "What can I do for you Ro'?" Marie asked the white haired woman.

"I…" Ororo hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I am glad that you have confided in Hank and I hope that you know you can always confide in me as well. I will not judge you Rogue."

Marie sighed. "It's not that I don't trust you guys Ororo. I just have a lot of baggage and the less who know about it the better."

Ororo nodded understandingly. "I understand. More than you think."

Marie sighed again. "I'll tell, but in my own time." Ororo smiled shortly and was about to say something when Piotr came to the door.

"The professor needs us in his office." He said neutrally and just as fast as he had come he was gone again.

The women shared a look before leaving the bedroom quickly. "I wonder what it is." Marie wondered out loud.

"He probably located Jean." Ororo answered, her voice filled with barely hidden hope and concern. On the way into the office Marie wondered if it was too late or to early to contact Fury about the phoenix. Clearly the being was something that could potentially cause massive damage and probably even start political crises, both national and international.

A fleeting thought made its way into her mind. _"But then again, maybe it hadn't gone mad considering it hadn't brought the school down during its escape – maybe it's not all evil."_ Marie would wait and see how the situation would evolve before she made any final decision.

Once they were all gathered inside the professor's office a tense atmosphere settled over the occupants.

The professor sat with hands folded on his lap and took a deep breath. Marie noticed that Scott had joined them, and wondered where he'd been the whole time.

"Everyone." The professor said gaining the attention of Marie again. "I have located Jean once more."

"The phoenix." Marie mumbled quietly ignoring the dirty looks Scott and Logan sent her.

"This is good news." Ororo said carefully and the professor sighed.

"I'm afraid not." Marie wasn't even close to Scott but she could feel the fury coming off him in waves. "I located Jean to her childhood home, where … where she in a fit of fury and confusion harmed her parents. She is still there, and I want you with me when we retrieve her. I have a feeling that Magneto will be there too, and try to sway her to his side in her confusion." Marie perked up when she heard Magneto might be there.

"I'm going with ya'll." She said determined and to the surprise of some of the occupants in the room. The professor nodded, knowing full well that she would be an asset against the brotherhood.

"Very well." He agreed.

"The hell she is." Scott angrily said.

The professor sighed. "For all we know she's the reason Jean left in the first place." Scott continued attacking Marie in front of the others.

"Wow! Hold your horses!" Marie exclaimed defensively. "It's not my fault that your wife has been taken over by alien life form that's going on murder spree!" Marie told him and Scott was about say something when Marie continued. "Besides! I honestly don't give a damn about Jean! I'm going because of Magneto! If he's going to be there, don't you think that having someone who can control metal too would be an asset in case things go down?!"

"Enough! The both of you!" Ororo angrily intervened.

Thunder rolled outside clearly showing that Ororo was one comment away from frying the both of them.

"Ororo is right." The professor stated tiredly. "And so is Rogue, Scott." He told the angry man. "Logan, Scott, Ororo and Rogue you are all coming with me. The rest of you will hold down the school. It is weekend so I don't expect much trouble from the students." At this Hank, Piotr, Kurt and the junior x-men nodded in understanding. The professor rolled towards the doors of his office. "We leave immediately. Be at the jet in five minutes." And with those final words everyone scattered out of the office either to get ready or to supervise the kids.

Marie checked her phone hoping there was some news from either Steve or Natasha. It was a desperate attempt to ignore the heavy and dark atmosphere that hovered inside the jet.

She sighed when there was nothing on her phone. Marie sent a text message to them, Clint and Coulson explaining the situation – but informing them that it was under control for the moment. Even if it felt like it was going to go to hell in a moment according to her gut.

She wasn't expecting any reply back and was surprised when a text message buzzed on her phone. **"I can have back up ready in twenty. Let me know if you need it. Btw. Shit's about to go down in New York. Keep everyone indoors if you can. Stay safe Marie – C."** Marie smiled at the quick and efficient answer Phil sent her, but her smile turned into a frown.

Marie went to the back of the jet and dialled Hank.

It rang once.

Then it rang again.

Then it rang a third time before it went to his voicemail.

Marie hit the redial button before the same thing happened.

Marie kept dialling until of her fourth try Hank finally picked up the phone.

 **"Hank McCoy speaking."**

"Hank, it's Marie." She said quietly not wanting the others to overhear her.

 **"Marie, is something wrong – have you found Jean?"** He asked her concerned.

"No, we haven't landed yet. I got some info from a friend of mine inside S.H.I.E.L.D. apparently something big is about to happen downtown. Just make sure no one leaves the institute. Keep a watch on the news."

 **"Very well. I'll do my best. Keep everyone safe will you?"** Hank asked of her.

"Will do. Talk to you soon." She said and hung up just in time for her to hear the Ororo's order to prepare for landing.

Marie found her seat again and buckled up even though she didn't really need to.

The barely noticeable shaking of the jet when they landed showed just how skilled Ororo was at flying the massive blackbird. While the others exited Marie stood back for a moment questioning whether or not she was ready to face the phoenix once more. When she finally gathered her courage and exited the plane she saw the backs of the professor and Magneto walking side by side towards the house.

A deep fury burned inside her at the sight of Magneto.

"You won't get away this time. I'll make sure of it." She said quietly to herself as the angry expression on face deepened.

As she left the jet she did something she'd never attempted to before. She summoned all of her powers. It left a humming sensation under her skin and coursed through her body.

Unknowingly her eyes whitened completely, her body stood straighter and she exhibited power.

With every step she took nearing the house her fury worsened. She wanted to rip Magneto apart. Atom. From. Atom.

She raised her hand towards him preparing her attack and suddenly the professor and Magneto were inside the house the smack of the door closing resounding in the surprisingly empty neighbourhood.

Marie felt like she'd been smacked in the face. Her eyes returned to their normal green colour; part of her fury dampened but her powers remained ready under her skin.

She shook her head lightly and it was only then she noticed Magneto had brought his own arsenal of mutants. The four of Magneto's henchmen faced off Storm, Cyclops and Wolverine. The tension was so thick in the air that you could cut it with a knife.

Marie took a stand next to Storm and before she knew it the fight had broken out.

Logan had fallen for the taunting from the mutant Juggernaut and attacked him dead on. But none of his attacks fazed the giant.

Storm led a succesful attack by rising into the air and twisting herself around with the force of a hurricane. She flew, still twisting, and used the force to knock out two of the henchmen. Storm's upper hand was just as quickly gone when the woman who was left of the henchmen, besides Juggernaut, punched Storm with the force of her superspeed. Storm was out the second the woman's fist connected with her face.

Cyclops decided to step in and attack the woman.  
The force of his lasers connecting with the woman's chest sent her flying through the walls of the house, the same way that Juggernaut had just punched Wolverine through the house a moment earlier.

Marie couldn't help but think that Wolverine, in all his animalistic glory, was a bit slow. Mentally.

Juggernaut's entire outfit consisted of metal; his helmet and the plates on his chest and back. With shift of her hand Juggernaut was frozen. He couldn't move.

The more he fought to move the more tightened the metal plates. She didn't stop until he couldn't breathe and his ribs had cracked under the pressure and he blacked out.

It took all of two minutes.

In the mean time Wolverine had joined the professor, Magneto and Jean in the living room.

" **Jean no!"** It was only his scream that alerted Marie that something was wrong, and she hurried to join them.

When Marie entered the room she saw the sheer power of the Phoenix.

Wolverine and Magneto were unconscious and at the foot of the wall.

Every object inside the room was hurled around in an invisible vortex.

The professor sat across from the Phoenix both so caught up in their telepathic battle for dominance that neither noticed Marie.

It wasn't until the objects that were flying around were being ripped apart that she was getting worried. "Atom by atom…" Marie whispered to herself in horror and realisation. She could tell the professor was losing the fight by his painful grunts.

The face of Jean Grey Summers slowly burned with black veins and her eyes had turned pitch black. The professor was slowly being lifted from the ground and Marie knew what would happen if she didn't act immediately.

She didn't have plan so she acted by instinct.

She grabbed Wolverine's face for a mere moment.

Marie ran through the vortex; the yell of a warrior she didn't recognize escaping her lips.

It was enough to startle the Phoenix.

The professor fell to the floor unconscious but alive.

The moment Marie's fist, with all her enhanced strength, connected with the face of the Phoenix's host was the same second the Phoenix attacked her with a telekinetic shove.

The Phoenix's eyes turned back to the normal blue of the host and it fell to the floor.

As Marie connected with part of the destroyed wall; a scream resounded as she was impaled on a broken metal pipe.

The Phoenix was breathing hard on the floor and Marie wasn't going to waste the opportunity to get her.

Marie used Magneto's powers to rip out the pipe from her chest and Wolverines powers immediately healed her. Both of them stood and faced one another waiting for the other to attack.

One second.

Two seconds.

The Phoenix sent a stream of fire toward Marie.

Marie foresaw this and summoned the same fire to envelop her body in protection.

The attack was useless now.

The fire only added to the surrounding one on her body.

Marie had used Magnetos powers to summon the same pipe from the wall that had impaled her with out the Phoenix noticing. She hid it behind her back. Marie ran toward the Phoenix, who for the first time let out a scream of frustration and sent out another telekinetic wave.

Marie evaded the attack by jumping to the side and used the momentum and her strength to impale the pipe into the Phoenix's heart.

Both women fell to the floor; the Phoenix in shock, and Marie because she kept pushing until she heard the crack of the ribs and felt it go clean through the heart.

As the Phoenix gasped in pain Marie absorbed the dying entity into herself, and ripped it apart with ease.

The moment Marie felt the last of the Phoenix having left her host Marie pulled out the pipe from Jean Greys heart and again attempted to do something she had never tried to before.

Marie held her hand on the open wound on Jeans chest. She focused Wolverine's healing factor, the last of her own energy and the powers of the Phoenix into the wound.

Nothing happened.

Marie sat there with her hand on the open chest of a dead woman.

"COME ON!" She bit out angrily and in spite.

Marie started to shake and tears of frustration started running down her cheeks.

She could hear Wolverine and the others starting to wake up.

Before she knew it they were all staring at her; some in pity, some in pain and some in anger and confusion.

"Rogue." The professor said carefully as if he spoke to a child. He was about to say something else when Marie interrupted him. "I can save her." She said and focused on the wound again.

"Rogue she is gone." The professor sadly stated with a heavy heart.

"No!" Marie said and then felt a hand on her shoulder. She thought it was Ororo's but it was Logan's.

"Kid." He shook his head. Marie shrugged his hand off and focused her powers on Jeans dead body again.

"I will not… " She cried, "I will not be the cause of another death … not again – I won't – I can't take it!" Marie sobbed.

None of the adults knew how to comfort her. Not even the professor. So they let her cry over the body of a woman she hadn't known. Scott in particular felt saddened by the sight of her. Marie, through her sobbing, focused once again on the wound.

Marie thought her mind might be playing tricks on her, but she thought the wound was a little smaller than before.

And then the wound started closing rapidly.

"My God!" "Charles?" "What the f…?" "Jesus!" They all exclaimed as the morbidly watched the wound disappearing as if it had never been there.

Marie focused through her still running tears. She didn't stop pushing the powers and energy into Jean's body even when the woman herself gasped and woke in fear and confusion.

"Jean!" Scott yelled out in shock and and relief.

It took a moment before Jean had realized what was going on.

"Scott!" Jean exclaimed scared, but the fear was not for herself. None of the adults had realized that Marie was getting paler and paler, a sickly contrast to her normally sun kissed skin.

Her eyes were rolling into the back of her head and her head lulled forwards.

"Scott get her off me! Now! She's killing herself!" Jean yelled out in concern; she was the only on eye level with Marie, and could see the effect of what ever it was Marie was doing to her had on the younger girl.

Jean didn't have the strength to push the girl of her as she lay there on the floor under Marie.

The fear in Jean's voice coupled with her words turned the adults' attention back to the young mutant. Logan acted quicker than Scott and ripped Marie away from Jean. Marie landed with thump on the hardwood floor.

Ororo and Scott went to help Jean while Logan and the professor came to Marie's aid.

Logan sniffed and listened to Marie's body before he immediately began CPR on her.

"Her heart stopped!" He growled out in concern and anger.

"Good God no…" The professor exclaimed worried and horrified.

After the first two exhales of air into her lungs nothing happened.

Logan continued viciously.

Another two exhales of air and still nothing happened.

"Come on Marie!" Logan growled at her. The cycle continued for what felt like an eternity and still nothing happened.

"Logan?" the professor asked, "Maybe we cannot save her…" He unwillingly said trying to be the voice of reason.

Logan growled at him angrily.

In the back Jean, who was curled around Scott, was watching with tired but concerned eyes as Logan relentlessly continued the CPR.

Ororo was a silent shadow behind her and Scott's firm grip around her was the only true indication of his concern – his face was unreadable.

"She saved Jean! The least we can do is save her!" He looked down on her. "Come on kid! What the hell am I gonna tell Steve if you die on me now!" he yelled at her hoping the words would have an effect but there was no response.

"Come on!" He yelled out in true fear and frustration before finally after forty minutes of trying he gave up.

Logan got up and kicked at all the furniture and punched the walls in anger.

Outside a violent storm attacked the city of New York. Ororo's had whitened over.

"No." She said calmly; a complete contradiction to the weather outside which reflected her mood.

She struck Marie's body with lightning bolt after lightning bolt screaming "NO!" in between. The sheer display of power was so strong that none of the remaining adults could or dared to stop her.

Suddenly Marie gasped and her eyes opened. Ororo and the others watched with relief as Marie coughed and cried out in pain.

She was alive.

Logan quickly touched her face not knowing the consequence of his action.

Marie's powers were uncontrolled and she unknowingly started to absorb Logan in front of everybody.

Veins appeared where their skin connected; hand to face, and both gasped in pain.

Marie; suddenly bombarded by Logan's powers and memories pushed his hand of her face.

Logan passed out and Marie had regained her strength and energy from his healing factor.

Marie looked at the adults whose faces were covered in shock. It took a moment but Logan grunted and stood again quickly healing.

The professor cleared his throat. "I believe that we should return to the school. We are all in need of some rest." He said not knowing what else would be appropriate at this time.

Marie wanted to say something, anything, but couldn't bring herself to open her mouth. Instead she nodded.

Scott and Ororo both helped Jean towards the jet, while Logan carefully pushed the completely drained professor and his chair.

Marie was still on the floor debating what she should do.

"Move it Marie." Logan told her as he and the professor left the destroyed house.

Marie sighed and got up. She looked around the house and the destructions.

"Something worse is coming for us." Marie mumbled carefully as she got up. "Something much worse." She mumbled as she entered the jet.

She never noticed the figure of Magneto carefully slipping away from the destruction they had left in their wake.

* * *

Hank had his hands full in the infirmary.

Every single one of them was stuck in a bed and no one was allowed to leave – not even Logan.

The professor and Ororo were sleeping, Scott and Jean were carefully speaking in hushed tones, and Logan was lying on his bed eyes closed meditating.

Marie was in the bed next to his. She was wide-awake going through her phone for any messages.

There were none.

She tried calling Coulson four times but it kept going to voicemail.

Then she called Steve and the same thing happened.

Then Natasha and then Clint with the same result.

She decided to send Coulson and the others a text message informing them that the situation was handled from her side without going into details.

She had a bad feeling in her gut.

She went to the news site on her phone hoping it was nothing. It was not nothing.

There on the front page was a scrappy live video feed showing down town New York and the Avengers fighting for their lives and the city against some creatures.

"Hank turn on the TV – Now!" she yelled at him scared. Hank and the others turned to her but the TV lit up right away.

"As you can see New York City has been declared to be in a state of emergency" The news anchor explained, "due to the alien attack. We are going live with the emergency services."

The video went split screen showing on one side the Avengers fighting against the aliens and on the other the governor of New York.

"We urge everyone to stay indoors. This is not a test. We are under attack. A special unit – these so called avengers have been sent in to counter the attack alongside military and navy."

No one spoke a word in the infirmary; everyone was in deep in shock.

"The United Nation has been called in to find a solution on this attack. The only thing we can do now is to stay safe and pray."

While the others were distracted by news Marie quickly escaped the infirmary. She knew what she had to do.

Luckily she was still dressed to fight in one of the black leather catsuits she'd taken from the Danger Room.

Outside Marie summoned Magneto's power and ripped the hood of one the school cars.

She stepped on metal and used to fly towards the city.

The closer she got to the city the stronger of a hum she could feel in her body and Marie didn't need the hood to fly anymore. She was powered by something else. Magnetism she thought.

She made a small metal mask out of the hood that covered her face enough but didn't feel heavy or limit her sight because she knew they were being filmed.

It didn't take her long to locate the fight. It had centered itself around Stark tower.

Some way ahead she could see Natasha jumping on one flying alien vehicle to another while avoiding gunfire.

"That won't do." Marie muttered as she flew closer.

She held out her hands in a grand gesture and the smacked them together.

All of the aliens and their vehicles smashed together; exploding in a massive fireball.

Marie flew faster and ended up next to Natasha.

Natasha grinned at her. "Nice mask." Before turning her attention ahead of her.

"Fuck." Natasha said casually as they stopped mid air.

In front of them was a horde of aliens and all of their guns were trained in the two of them.

Marie grinned.

She lifted her hands and the guns were ripped from the aliens and turned on them.

She mushed all of the guns into one giant metal ball that fell on the aliens on the ground below. Natasha and Marie both winced at the sounds it created.

"Wanna make some room for us to get through?" Natasha asked her with a lifted eyebrow.

Marie smashed the aliens together again creating another giant explosion.

The two landed on ground with the rest of the avengers.

Marie took in the giant green … guy and the extremely tall blonde man. "Hi." She smiled at them confusing the two. "Marie what are you doing here!" Steve yelled at her. Marie grinned. "Having fun. Fighting Evil. Kicking ass."

Steve sighed but even if he didn't show it he was extremely relived to have her fight by his side.

"And it's Rogue in the field Sugar." Marie sassed him before being alerted moving metal around them.

Marie sent out a giant magnetic wave that threw the incoming wave of aliens into whatever buildings or cars there were; incapacitating them.

An arrow flew past her face killing an alien that had managed to sneak up on them.

Marie smiled as Clint joined them on ground.

"Did I miss the reunion?" He joked as he hugged Marie and twirled her around once.

Marie laughed. "No, but you are getting your ass kicked after this is over." She countered.

Marie heard a voice over the avengers coms.

 **"Hey I don't wanna miss out on a reunion, so guys I'm bringing the party to you!"** The male voice spoke out.

The five of them turned and saw a small red figure in the distance flying towards them. As it blasted faster towards them a giant metal and alien entity the size of a building came at them.

Black Widow shook her head. "I don't see how that's a party."

It came closer and closer Marie noticed.

She wasn't sure that she could stop that even with her powers.

The giant green man Marie noticed ran straight at it and punched it in the face.

The force of the punch slowed the giant alien but not fast enough.

The red robot man fired missiles at it making it explode.

Marie used her powers to stop whatever metal parts were flying towards them from the blast.

Problem was not every part of the alien was metal.

While she deflected the metal parts away she never saw the giant piece of alien flesh and guts coming directly at her.

She was tackled to the side a large arm around her body, and they landed with an "Oomph" and a grunt.

"Thank you." She told the giant blonde man who had saved her from being squished.

"No problem Shield sister." He exclaimed happily and Marie wondered what kind of meds this guy _wasn't_ taking.

Around the city screeching was heard. "Was that the mothership or something?" Marie asked as both she and blonde got to their feet.

The red robot's face drew back, revealing none other than Tony Stark. Natasha exclaimed a "Guys?" as her ever-observant nature caught sight of the giant hole in the sky from where more giant aliens and hordes of foot soldiers were exiting.

"Call it cap." Stark said needing a plan.

"Alright listen up," Steve said.

"Until we close that portal our priority is containment. Barton I want you on that roof. Eyes on everything; Call out patterns and strays." He said before continuing.

"Stark; you got perimeter. Anything get more than three blocks away you turn it away or turn it to ash." Clint looked at Stark. "Give me lift." Stark nodded. "Better clench up Legolas." Marie couldn't contain her snort and Clint rolled his eyes at her before he was violently flown upwards.

Steve continued. "Thor you and Rogue gotta try and bottle that portal. Slow 'em down." He received an affirmative nod before the man flew off.

Rogue grabbed Steve by the neck and kissed him. "We are getting married after this. If we survive that is." She told him smiling; not knowing where the statement came from.

She'd never before considered marriage even if Marie knew she wanted to spend her life with Steve.

She flew off before she could hear his response but she could see his shock clearly. She also saw Natasha snapping him out of it.

As Marie neared the giant hole in the sky she could see that Thor was already smashing through the aliens.

She decided to focus on the giant ones.

She quickly learned that without the metal armor the giant aliens couldn't actually fly.

From that moment she and Thor fell in to a good rhythm. Marie would rip the armor off the aliens and Thor would fry all of them.

It felt like they'd been in the air forever and Marie was starting wear out. She flew over to Thor.

"I don't know how much longer I'll be able to last." She ripped another alien from its amour. Thor fried it.

"Aye. We need to end this once and for all. Captain is there any news on the Man of Iron and this bomb you speak of." Thor said into his com.

"What bomb?" Marie asked concerned and hating being left out of the loop.

"Aye." Thor said into com.

Thor grabbed Marie by the arm. "We must leave and regroup with the others." He told her firmly and Marie nodded.

The flew away from the hole and as the landed among the others she could see Tony Stark flying into the hole.

"What is he doing!" Marie exclaimed horrified. "Saving all of us." Natasha said calmly but Marie could tell her friend was also concerned for Stark.

The hole was starting to close.

Stark fell from it seconds before it closed off.

"He's crashing!" Clint exclaimed.

Thor and Marie prepared to catch him but Hulk was eager and jumped from building to building catching him.

They landed and Hulk placed Stark on the ground. "Is he dead?" Clint asked while the others took in the bloody and beaten face of Tony Stark.

Hulk suddenly roared into Tony's face shocking him awake.

"Please tell me nobody kissed me. Unless it was widow or the other gal." They all shook their heads in relief.

Steve looked at him. "We won."

Thor looked at them tightly. "We are not finished yet. We must apprehend my brother."

Marie levitated several metal plates together. Steve helped Tony stand.

Marie grinned. "Your carriage awaits." They all stood on the plates and Marie lifted them up to the top of Stark tower.

Tension would have been greater on the ride up had Tony not been mumbling something about Shawarma. Marie shook her head.

They were clearly all partially crazy, but it suited the team dynamics she thought while happy that the fight was finally over.

Marie was surprised that the man who'd stood behind this alien attack was Thor's brother. _"He's quite handsome."_ She thought to herself and yet there was something about him that seemed familiar in a way.

Like Marie had seen him before and she knew this was impossible.

As Thor handcuffed his brother in the asgardian chains Marie searched the corners of her mind for any piece of information.

 _"The answer is nearer than you think…"_ a memory whispered to her.

Marie frowned and was shocked when she was suddenly pulled into her own mind.

 **Marie stood in front of a small village. The weather was a dull grey and the air was thick. Soon the rain would fall.**

 **All around her she could hear chatter from the people as they worked; blacksmiths forging in the distance, Farmers handling their livestock and women singing.**

 **Marie took a few steps forward and saw a young woman with blonde hair down to her waist.**

 **For some reason runes were being drawn on her body by other women. The linen and make of her dress told Marie that this had happened many thousand years ago.**

 **Once in a while a blacksmith would come with jewellery made from the purest gold and place it at the woman's feet. The women finished their drawings of the runes and left the woman to her own device. Marie was surprised that the woman didn't leave or even moved.**

 **She stood perfectly still.**

 **Marie wanted a closer look of the woman and walked up to her.**

 **When Marie saw the face of the woman she froze.**

 **The woman's eyes were pitch black.**

 **Just like those of the Phoenix.**

 **Marie heard someone walking up to the woman and turned.**

 **It was Loki brother of Thor.**

 **He grabbed a hold of the woman's face in his own.**

 **"Sigyn, I know that you are in there somewhere. Come back to me." Loki begged and Marie's heart broke at the sincerity.**

 **Sigyn enveloped in the Phoenix fire and burned his hands. Loki let out grunt of pain but refused to give up.**

 **"This vessel is mine. Leave or die." The Phoenix told him simply.**

 **Loki growled. "That is my wife! Be gone before I curse you out!" He threatened.**

 **The Phoenix laughed at him. "You have no power that can harm me little mortal."**

 **"I shall bring Ragnarok upon you!" he screamed at her.**

 **The Phoenix quieted. "You live in your brother's shadow. Know this mortal; your jealousy and hatred will be your downfall."**

 **Loki froze. "You know the future?"**

 **The phoenix smirked.**

 **"Born in the ashes of time I see everything. Do you wish to know yours mortal?" Loki stilled. He was clearly swayed by the desire for knowledge.**

"At what cost?" He asked carefully.

"This vessel."

Loki thought long and hard before deciding.

"Very well, tell me my destiny."

The Phoenix held a hand toward him and spoke.

Marie had a feeling that whatever it was it was going to tell him was going to be a bad thing.

"You shall betray your brother three times and you shall be punished by his hand. The first time he will forgive you and chain you. The second time he will no longer trust you and incarcerate you. The third time he shall kill you. Your destiny is to die by your brother's hand."

Loki froze. "It cannot be! My brother would never harm me!" Loki exclaimed angrily.

"Heed my warning. Now be gone." Loki began to protest but with the wave of a hand he was teleported away.

When Marie was pulled out of the memory again she found no time had passed on the outside.

 _"Weird…"_ She shook her head.

Thor turned to Tony. "Is there anywhere we can keep him locked so that he may cause no further harm?" Tony nodded after short moment.

"We can keep him locked up here in one the spare rooms. I can redesign the lock so that no one but you or I can get in." Tony answered and Thor nodded.

"Let's go I can do in the room." Tony said.

"I'll go as backup – just in case." Marie said as she lifted Loki of the floor and into the air by his chains before putting him down again.

Thor agreed. The three of them made their way to the spare room; Tony and Thor walking ahead discussing the technology and magic in the chains Thor had brought.

Marie walked next to Loki who merely sighed.

Marie smiled at him.

It made Loki weary. "What are you smiling about mortal? My demise? Worry not I shall soon be back to wreak chaos and havoc once more." Loki told Marie quietly not wanting the to men to overhear.

Marie shook her head still smiling. "The first time he will forgive you and chain you. Mortal." She told him doing her best Phoenix impersonation.

"This is your first punishment. Heed my warning." Loki froze and all colour disappeared from his face.

"It. It. It cannot be…" He mumbled putting as much distance between them he could.

"You should have chosen your wife instead if your destiny when you had the chance." She informed him and Loki stopped.

Marie yanked his chain with magneto's powers forcing him to walk again.

They didn't talk again – Loki was too shocked and scared, and Marie didn't feel like it.

Soon he was locked behind doors that no one could get into. _"But I totally could."  
_

Later they found themselves at the sharwarma joint Tony had been mumbling about.

No one said anything. Everyone was both emotionally and physically exhausted.

They took the rest of the food to go and returned clean up and rest in the tower.

Marie and Steve showered and slept.

Neither wanted to talk only sleep. So they slept for twenty-four hours, Marie a bit longer than the others.

She didn't leave their bed until she felt hunger attacking her like a starved cat.

Steve came like a god sent angel with homemade breakfast in bed for her.

"Have I told you that I love you recently? Cause I do. Very much so." She said and kissed his lips when he'd placed food in front of her.

Steve kissed her back. "It's always nice to be appreciated." He grinned.

Marie attacked the waffle on her plate. "This is the best. Your are the best." She sighed happily to him.

"I love you Marie." Steve told her and Marie looked at him. He rubbed her ring finger and when she looked down at it again a beautiful engagement ring was on.

It was vintage in the design; square cut, simple silver band and small stones around the square cut stone.

"Steve." Marie said her brain not really catching up to her at the moment. "It's beautiful." "

Like you said. If we survived the attack we were to get married." Marie pushed the tray away and straddled him. She kissed him with all her might.

"I'll take that as a yes?" Marie nodded happily and grinned widely. "YES! YES! YES!" she yelled out loud before kissing him again. Steve laughed happily. They didn't leave the room the rest of that day.

* * *

...


	12. Chapter 17

The end chapter of this story. I don't know if I'll continue the series or try something else :-)

* * *

It wasn't until a few days after the attack on New York City when Thor and Loki had left, that Marie was told of Phil Coulson's death.

Marie's heart broke at the news.

She'd called Clint to hear if he wanted to join her and Steve for dinner, and told him that she was planning on inviting Coulson and everybody else too.

 **"** **Marie hasn't anybody told you yet?"** Clint asked her, his sadness betraying his voice.

"Told me what Clint?" Marie asked him and frowned.

 **"** **Coulson died in the attack on the hellicarrier."** He said softly and Marie froze.

"What?" she asked not wanting to have heard him correctly.

A sigh was heard from Clint on the other side. **"It's true Marie. He's gone."**

Marie shook her head in denial but knew Clint would never lie to her about this. "When…" She cleared her throat. "When's the funeral?" Marie asked trying to keep herself composed.

 **"** **We don't know yet. Something isn't adding up in S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury had Phil's body transported somewhere else due to security concerns. Whatever security concerns a dead man can cause I don't know. Nat and I are working on locating his body. He deserves a funeral at least."** Clint finished firmly.

"Let me now when you find him or if you need help. And I still expect to see you at dinner on Tuesday." Marie finished firmly.

 **"** **You know you can count on me doc."** Clint finished trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Marie smiled sadly and responded with an "I do." And hung up the phone.

Marie sighed. _"Even when we win we lose."_ She thought. Her thoughts had lingered on the memories of the time she'd shared with Phil.

Marie's heart had felt heavy then. It still did today.

Marie stared at the document in front of her on the table.

 **Resignation notice** the title read in black bold letters.

She left her apartment and made her way to the institute. She hadn't returned to the school since she gone to join the avengers fight for New York.

That was ten days ago.

When she finally arrived she hesitated not wanting to leave the car.

Marie rubbed her hands on her face in desperation before getting out. The institute was as always pulsating with life, children running around chattering excitedly. She couldn't help but think she was making a mistake before she shook her head. It had to be done. It was safer for every one.

Despite the surprisingly warm fall weather outside Marie had covered op completely. She wore jeans, boots and a black long-sleeved shirt.

Marie stopped before the massive double doors at the entrance. She lifted the sleeve of her left arm.

Marie winced at the sight and the pain she felt. Along her arm three Egyptian hieroglyphs had been carved into her skin. They still bled even after she'd gauzed them and cleaned them this morning.

The hieroglyphs had started appearing three days ago.

Steve was busy on the helicarrier dealing with the aftermath of the battle and had left her unwilling alone in their apartment.

Each night she'd dreamt she was being held inside an Egyptian tomb and a figure stood above her menacingly. The figure secured her to the stone plate and then started carving into her flesh harshly.  
Marie had woken up screaming in the middle of the night for the first time in her life. It had continued the following nights.

Every time she woke up a new hieroglyph had been carved and bled from her arm.

Marie rolled down her sleeve again. She entered the school and quickly made her way to the professor's office.

The professor was happily surprised to see her but his eyes quickly became concerned. Anyone could clearly see that Marie looked like death herself. Her skin was a sickly pale hue, there were purple bags under her eyes and with every step she took it was clear that she struggling to hold back a wince.

"Rogue." He rolled towards her. "Are you well?" the professor asked her concerned.

Marie sat on a chair in front of his desk slightly turned towards him. "I'm fine." She said curtly. "I'm here to give you my official resignation." Marie handed him the paper she brought.

The professor look perplexed at the paper.

"May I ask why? I hope that the incident with Jean is not the cause of this. You are and always be a respected and accepted part of this establishment." He told her firmly.

Marie shook her head lightly.  
"I appreciate it but that's not why." Marie unconsciously cradled her injured arm.

The professor noticed this but said nothing.

Marie sighed. "Something has come up. My life has changed; I'm engaged now and I… Well I'm pregnant." She admitted.

And it was the truth.

 _"But that won't last very long if this continues."_ She thought angrily and glared at her arm.

The professor caught the stray thought and wondered what she meant.

"Congratulations. But I still don't see how that affects your ability to work here. Unless you do not feel like working here anymore?" The professor asked her worried.

Marie smiled at him sadly. "No, believe me, I never thought I would love my work here as much as I do. And if I could I would stay. But…" Marie hesitated.

She could confide in about the dreams and the wounds. She knew he would do everything in his power to help anyone who needed it.

"It's because I love this place, the children and instructors here that I'm leaving. Something happened after the Incident with Jean and I need to know everyone is safe." She admitted.

The professor folded his hands and lifted an eyebrow. "What happened?" he asked her cautiously.

Marie looked the professor straight in the eye. "You have to promise not to tell anyone. Ever. Not Hank, not Logan, Not Ororo. No one." The professor nodded.

Marie took a deep breath before allowing him to see her nightmares in her mind.

Once outside again he shook his head. "I don't understand." He admitted to Marie. The professor couldn't see what these dream had to do with anything. Marie lifted her left sleeve again revealing the carvings to the professor.

"My God." He exclaimed slowly in shock.

The professor took Marie's arm in his hand and inspected the still bleeding wounds. "Rogue did… did you do this?" He had to ask her.

Marie shook her head in denial. "No. When I wake up they're just there." She replied sadly. "This is…" the professor began but didn't know what to say.

"That's why. I'm going away for some time to research this and find out what's causing it."

The professor nodded. "I will help you however you need." Marie thanked him.

"Is Jean here? I'd like to talk to her." Marie asked him.

The professor nodded "In the garden."

Marie rose and began walking when the professor called out to her. "We are here for you Rogue. Do not ever hesitate in asking for help. You are one of our own. Always." Marie smiled at him before continuing outside.

Marie found Jean in a moment of solitude sitting on a bench. Her eyes were closed as she bathed in the sun. Marie cleared her throat before she sat down next to Jean.

"Rogue." Jean replied happily. "I'm glad you are okay." She told Marie.

"I'm glad you're not dead." Marie replied and the two women smiled at each other.

"I owe you my life. I don't know what you did or how you did it but thank you." Jean emotionally told the younger woman.

Marie nodded. "Can I ask you something?" She asked Jean and the other woman replied with an "Of course."

Marie took a deep breath. "Before the Phoenix took over completely… Did you… Did you ever get visions?" Marie asked carefully.

Jean looked at her oddly. "Like hallucinations? No." Jean answered.

Marie shook her head. "No like… I don't know… Like premonitions; visions of the past or future?"

Jean looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Not that I remember. The only thing I remember was the feeling of complete fury burning me from the inside out blinding me. Why do you ask?" she replied.

Marie shook her head again. "Nothing. It was just something the Phoenix showed me when it was in my head. Just needed to be sure it wasn't anything real." Marie rose from the bench and Jean rose with her.

"Thank you for your time." Marie told her and Jean replied with a heartfelt. "No, thank you."

Marie left Jean in the garden where she'd found her. She prayed she didn't run into anyone else on the way to the garage and today lady luck was on her side.

She left the car keys to her beloved Camaro with the other keys and sighed. She flew away from the institute slowly only turning around once seeing the professor watching her from his office window.

When Marie entered their apartment she knew what she had to do.

 _"I have to make a plan this time. No working on my own."_ Marie thought as she looked at the ring on her finger and then clutched her stomach.

 _"This is just the beginning."_ Marie grabbed her laptop and started to research.

Not before long Steve walked into the apartment he came up behind and kissed her neck. "Are we going on a vacation?" He asked seeing her buying two plane tickets.

Marie kissed him. "Something like that." She said simply.

* * *

The end.

I hope you guys enjoyed the story.


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